CBS‘ long-running police procedural, NCIS, has been dethroned as TV’s most-watched show for the first time in half a decade. Premiering in 2003, NCIS was born from the success of JAG. While it is technically a spinoff, the series quickly created its own identity, becoming very successful. Sustaining a loyal following for over two decades on the small screen makes its accomplishments more impressive. NCIS season 21 is has met with a setback as it fails to secure its sixth consecutive year as the most-watched series.
In recent ratings, NCIS garnered around 9.7 million weekly viewers. The long-running police procedural was beat out by fellow CBS show, Tracker, which just debuted during the delayed 2023-2024 season. The Justin Hartley-led project had 10.8 million weekly viewers. This marks the first time in five years that NCIS is ending the year not on the top of the most-watched series list.
The good news is that despite being dethroned, NCIS will move forward with season 22. . Proof of how solid the brand is currently is evident with the arrival of more spinoffs with characters that are from the Major Case Response Team (MCRT), such as Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ NCIS: Origins, which involves Mark Harmon as a narrator and producer, as well as the upcoming NCIS: Tony & Ziva, with Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo.
