Summary
TheNCISfranchise isone of the longest-running and most successful TV franchises,and it’s far from being over, meaning that there are a lot of episodes to watch and many more to come.NCIS, the CBS military police procedural series, is even still on the air as of the writing of this article, and it’s unclear when or if it will be canceled. PerhapstheNCISuniversewill never truly go away, and people will still be watching iconic characters such as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Tony DiNozzo, and Ziva David on their TV screens for many more years to come.
CBS canceledNCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans,andNCIS: Hawai’i,leaving only fourNCISshows on the air during the 2024-2025 TV season.
Withseven TV shows under its belt (not includingJAG),theNCISfranchise has produced over 1,000 episodesand 46 seasons spread out over all of its series. As a result, taking on a full watch from beginning to end (at least, of what has been released) might sound like a daunting task. Fortunately, although a complete guide to watching allNCISshows in order is lengthy and detailed, it’s fairly easy to follow the sequence of events in this fictional universe.
All NCIS Shows In Release Order
NCIS Was A Spinoff Of JAG
TheNCISuniverse technically began inJAG, but the 1990s legal drama isn’t in the franchise.NCISserved as a spinoff toJAG, and its backdoor pilot aired during season 8 in April 2003. The two-hour event introducedJAGfans to Mark Harmon’s Gibbs and his team, including Michael Weatherly as Tony, Pauley Perrette as Abby Sciuto, Alan Dale as Thomas Morrow, and David McCallum as Donald Mallard. Five months later,NCISpremiered and has been a success ever since. Itsspinoffs includeNCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans,NCIS: Hawai’i, NCIS: Sydney, NCIS: Origins,andNCIS: Tony & Ziva.
21
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NCIS Shows In Chronological Order (Including Upcoming Spinoffs)
An NCIS Prequel Premieres In 2024
The chronological order ofNCISlines up with its release order for the most part. However, withNCIS: Originspremiering in the fall of 2024, the timeline will contradict that a little bit. The upcoming military police procedural series will serve as a prequel to the original show andfocus on Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs during the early days of his careerwhen he was a special agent at the Camp Pendleton branch of the NIS.
Auston Stowell will play the younger version of Gibbs, while Harmon is expected to narrate. So, sinceNCIS: Originstakes place in 1991,the upcoming show obviously takes place before all the other series. Nevertheless, the chronological order of theNCISfranchise is:
How To Watch NCIS' Crossover Episodes
The NCIS Franchise Features Numerous Crossovers
Over the course of over 40 seasons and 1,000 episodes, theNCISTV shows have crossed over quite a few times. Whether it involved only two series or three,NCIShas had its fair share of crossoversand there will probably be plenty more in the future, especially withthe upcoming spinoffNCIS: Tony & Ziva. Plus, given the fact that the majority of them air on CBS (except forNCIS: SydneyandNCIS: Tony & Ziva, which both are or will be on Paramount+), it’s fairly easy to plan crossovers. The official list of all theNCISfranchise’s crossover episodes (so far) is:
Can You Watch NCIS Without Watching JAG First?
JAG Isn’t Necessary To Watch NCIS
Even thoughNCISis technically a spinoff ofJAG, one doesn’t have to watch the older series to understandNCIS. PerhapswatchingJAGseason 8, episodes 20 and 21 would be informative,given they serve asNCIS’s backdoor pilot. However, as for the other 225episodes ofJAG, it isn’t necessary to see them to understand what is happening in theNCISfranchise. Characters fromJAGsometimes appear in shows likeNCISandNCIS: Los Angeles. But a viewer wouldn’t be completely confused if they aren’t familiar with theJAGcharacters — the references would just fly over their heads, and that’s okay.
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Do You Need To Watch NCIS To Understand The Spinoffs?
NCIS’s Procedural Nature Makes Watching Easy
SinceNCISis a procedural franchise,none of the shows are obligatory to watch to tune in to others. Of course, it would be helpful towatchNCISand be familiar with Gibbs' storybefore diving intoNCIS: Origins. However, the other spinoffs aren’t explicitly tied to the parent series.
The backdoor pilots forNCIS: Los AngelesandNCIS: New OrleansinNCISwould probably be the most essential episodes to watch, though, if one wants to watch either spinoff.
Things may get a bit confusing when crossovers come around. But given how many episodes are in each TV show, it’s fine to miss out on some plot points that are tied to other series during these events. The backdoor pilots forNCIS: Los AngelesandNCIS: New OrleansinNCISwould probably be the most essential episodes to watch, though, if one wants to watch either spinoff.
NCIS
Cast
NCIS is a television series that follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Premiering in 2003, the show explores various cases involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, ranging from murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines.
