The down under spinoff NCIS: Sydney returned for its sophomore season in early 2025, and now the police procedural has been renewed for season 3. Debuting during the strike-affected fall season of 2023, the NCIS off-shoot concerns American agents of the titular agency as they team up with the Australian Federal Police to crack cases involving members of the American military. The first spinoff of the decades-old franchise to be set outside the United States, NCIS: Sydney offers an interesting change of pace for the series that debuted all the way back in 2003.
The 2023 fall TV slate was heavily affected by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and the debuting NCIS: Sydney was one of the few programs to arrive on time. This helped give CBS an edge and also got a lot of attention for the burgeoning spinoff. With the NCIS franchise in a state of flux, Sydney is a more traditional procedural, even with off-shoots like NCIS: Tony & Ziva and NCIS: Origins offering a change of format. With the NCIS universe still continuing to expand, NCIS: Sydney has scored an early season 3 renewal.
NCIS: Sydney Season 3 Latest News
CBS Renews The Spinoff Very Early
Coming mere days after the season 2 premiere, it’s clear that the more traditional spinoff has a place in the constantly-expanding NCIS universe.
Coming as part of CBS’ mass renewal announcement in late February 2025, the latest news confirms that NCIS: Sydney season 3 has been renewed. Announced alongside the renewals of NCIS season 23 and NCIS: Origins season 2, the international spinoff was given an incredibly swift season 3 order. Coming mere days after the season 2 premiere, it’s clear that the more traditional spinoff has a place in the constantly-expanding NCIS universe. However, details are scant about season 3 so far, and will likely remain that way until season 2 concludes.
NCIS: Sydney Season 3 Is Confirmed
Go Down Under For Season 3 Soon
Though there was some speculation whether NCIS: Sydney season 2 could live up to season 1, which was helped along by unusual circumstances, CBS has put those concerns to bed for now. Coming only a few weeks after season 2 debuted, CBS renewed NCIS: Sydney for a third season in February 2025. This early renewal is a good sign for the procedural’s future, and it could mean that more seasons are on the horizon as well. Almost nothing is known about season 3 yet, but details will emerge once season 2 wraps up.
NCIS: Sydney Season 3 Cast Details
The NCIS & AFP Agents Will Return
Though major changes to the cast are always possible, it stands to reason that the cast of NCIS: Sydney will remain consistent from season to season. Shows like NCIS rely on the chemistry between its main characters, and Sydney has not one but two law enforcement agencies at the heart of the series. This means that Olivia Swann is expected to return as NCIS Special Agent-in-Charge, Michelle Mackey. Working closely with the Australians, Mackey’s partner will once again be Todd Lasance as Australian Federal Police Second-in-Command, Jim “JD” Dempsey.
The rest of the team includes American NCIS Agent DeShawn Jackson, who will once again be played by Sean Sagar, and AFP Liaison Officer Evie Cooper, played by Tuuli Narkle. Working behind-the-scenes to help crack the cases, the AFP forensic pathologist, Roy “Rosie” Penrose, will be played again by William McInnes. Meanwhile, Mavournee Hazel will reprise her role as Bluebird “Blue” Gleeson, the AFP forensic scientist who works alongside Rosie to assist the agents. NCIS: Sydney also utilizes a wide range of guest stars, but it’s impossible to know who that will be yet.
NCIS: Sydney Season 3 Story Details
What’s Next For The US/Aussie Team-Up?
it could be that NCIS: Sydney shifts towards an ongoing narrative in order to separate it from predecessors like NCIS
By their very nature, procedurals are both predictable and unpredictable. While it’s predictable that the episodes will consist of case-of-the-week plots that see the team trying to crack some difficult case, it’s unpredictable when it comes to the actual content of the episodes. Season 2 will set the tone for the police procedural, and it could be that NCIS: Sydney shifts towards an ongoing narrative in order to separate it from predecessors like NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Los Angeles, and the like.
One thing that NCIS: Sydney could explore going forward is the classic TV trope of the slow-burn romance. Perhaps the most likely candidates for the show are Sean Sagar’s DeShawn Jackson and Tuuli Narkle’s Evie Cooper, and the two agents have tremendous chemistry. Not only does it mean more because the two represent two different agencies, but if they do form a bond, it makes the danger of the weekly cases all the more exciting. Whatever happens, NCIS: Sydney has a lot to work with going into season 3.