Summary
There has been a lot of change lately in theNCISuniverse, and the cancelation ofNCIS: Hawai’icontinued an odd trend that has surfaced amid the franchise’s transition. The franchise started as a backdoor pilot of the 1990s legal proceduralJAG,with the originalNCISpremiering in 2003. The franchise launched its first spinoff in 2009, introducing thecast ofNCIS: Los Angeles.Since then, the franchise has created six other series, only some of which are still in production.
As the flagship series heads intoNCISseason 22, the landscape of the entire franchise looks very different from how it did at the beginning of the decade. Since then, several location-based spinoffs, such asNCIS: Los AngelesandNCIS: New Orleans,have been canceled. Despite a strong base of fans, the franchise also bid goodbye to thecast ofNCIS: Hawai’iin 2024, making it the third location-based series to come to a close. With the cancelation of its older shows and the beginning of new ones, the franchise is signaling massive shifts to its approach to programming.
9 Reasons Why NCIS: Hawai’i’s Season 3 Cancelation Was A Mistake
The cancelation of NCIS: Hawai’i and ending storylines for characters like Jane Tennant, Sam Hanna, and others was a mistake for the NCIS franchise.
NCIS Has A History Of Canceling Spinoffs The Same Year A New One Premieres
The NCIS Franchise Has Been Swapping Out Spinoffs Every Few Years
With the cancelation ofNCIS: Hawai’iand the announcement ofNCIS: Tony & ZivaandNCIS: Origins,the franchise has solidified a trend of canceling established series as it begins producing new ones. While this may sound like show business, it signifies more than that when analyzed. It’s a sign that massive shifts are happening in the collection ofNCISspinoff shows.Hawai’iis only the most recent example; replacing oldNCISshows with new ones is a model the franchise implemented when canceling each location-based series.
When the franchise announced its first series cancelation in 2021,NCIS: Hawai’ireplaced the fallenNCIS: New Orleans.After that, when the franchise canceledNCIS: Los Angelesin 2023, it introducedNCIS: Sydneythe same year. Likewise, when the franchise announced thecancelation ofNCIS: Hawai’iahead of season 4, they had also announcedNCIS: OriginsandTony & Ziva.The trend is gradually replacingNCISspinoffs with location-based case-of-the-week premiseswith more complex programming.
NCISSpinoff Programming Start And End Dates
2009
2023
2014
2021
2024
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2024-2025
How The Cancelation Trend Has A Connection To The NCIS Franchise’s Backdoor Pilot Tradition
NCIS Has Canceled All Of Its Shows That Started As Backdoor Pilots
The trend has a fascinating connection to theNCISfranchise’s backdoor pilot trend.NCISlaunched its first two spinoffs,NCIS: Los AngelesandNew Orleans,as backdoor pilots in the main series. The backdoor pilots, with exciting character crossovers, signified thatthe spinoff shows were an extension of the franchise.NCIShasn’t had a backdoor pilot since it launched its Bayou-based series in 2014. Since then, the franchise introducedNCIS: Hawai’iandSydneywith cold launches, with the shows being introduced in a standalone format.
theNCISfranchise is making decisions to favor more complex, diversified programming regarding how the story is presented.
They replaced more established spinoffs launched in the originalNCIS.Which series the franchise is green-lighting versus which ones it’s cutting is characteristic of a significant shift that theNCISfranchise is attempting to navigate. Launching its last two location-based spinoffs alone signifies thatNCISis crafting shows to stand separate from the flagship. Furthermore, the cancelation ofNCIS: Hawai’i,on top of all the others, shows that theNCISfranchise is making decisions to favor more complex, diversified programming regarding how the story is presented.
How NCIS: Origins And NCIS: Tony & Ziva Will Change The Franchise After Hawai’i’s Surprise Cancelation
New NCIS Shows Will Continue To Diversify The Way The NCIS Franchise Tells Stories
The upcoming expansion seriesNCIS: Tony & ZivaandOriginswill continue to change the franchise as its fans know it. AlthoughNCISis reverting to its roots with the original MCRT character-focused spinoffs, it’s diverging from its foundation of case-of-the-week, location-based series. Beyond that,Tony & Zivawill continue to shatter expectations. TheTony and Ziva spinoffwill bring exciting firsts to the franchise, including a serialized storytelling format, and it will stream on Paramount+ rather than airing on CBS like all theNCISshows that came before it.
NCIS: Sydneywas the firstNCISseries to incorporate serialized storytelling.
The franchise will also employ new concepts in theNCIS: Originsspinoff, a new series that will illustrate the early NCIS days of Leroy Jethro Gibbs as he starts at Camp Pendleton. The choice to hone in on the most central character in the entire franchise suggeststhe focus will be on the main characters in the future rather than new NCIS offices in different locations. It also indicates that programming will attempt to navigate more complex narratives, like origin stories and narratives of characters far into their futures, instead of introducing new characters to the franchise.
The recent changes tohowNCISapproaches its programming signify that the network is in fluxwith demands for new types of programming. With the shift from network programming to streaming platforms, more immersive content with solid ties to the franchise’s origins is favored. Focusing on characters like Tony and Ziva suggests that the franchise finds comfort in the past versus continuing to branch out and explore new realms.NCIS: Sydneyhas one foot in each camp, as it’s the last location-based spinoff, but is oriented towards the shift inNCISprogramming.
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.
