The ‘NCIS’ writers have been hard at work, with production eyed to start this month, depending on the actors’ strike.
After the WGA strike ended, the NCIS writers returned to work quickly, putting the show in an ideal position to resume production. Potential plans for the next 21st season of the long-running CBS procedural have been made public. TVLine claims that since the strike ended, the writers’ room has been “extremely productive.” The drama is apparently hoping for a late November start for filming, either somewhere before or after Thanksgiving, depending on the outcome of the SAG-AFTRA strike. If that comes to pass. The intended order for Season 21 is 13 episodes.
The desired number for post-strike series appears to be averaging between 10 and 13, therefore NCIS’s potential order makes sense. The drama will have the shortest season of the show yet, regardless of how many episodes it receives. Because of COVID, season 18 was originally the shortest, with only 16 episodes. Even though it will be challenging to fit so much into a maximum of 13 episodes, the series is capable of handling it. Regarding the spinoff NCIS: Hawai’i, the precise number of episodes is unknown, although it is aiming for roughly 10–13.
The upcoming season will be a hard one to watch following the death of David McCallum. The late actor portrayed Chief M.E. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, and later, NCIS Historian, throughout all 21 seasons. He most recently remotely appeared in the final two episodes of Season 20. It’s unknown what kind of tribute the writers will be cranking out, but it’s definitely going to be an emotional one. Although McCallum is no longer around, his presence will surely be felt on NCIS, even after the series has eventually ended.
Meanwhile, NCIS may not be airing new episodes this fall, but fans of the franchise are being fed plenty. CBS has been airing reruns of the mothership series, now with three full hours on Mondays. The network is hyping up fans for the series premiere of the latest iteration in the franchise, NCIS: Sydney. The drama will take fans Down Under as U.S. NCIS Agents team up with the Australian Federal Police to form a taskforce and keep the naval crimes in Sydney in check.
Even though it might still be a while for NCIS‘ return, the franchise is still very much alive with its new spinoff. Be sure to check out NCIS: Sydney next Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The series will be premiering on Paramount+ Australia this Friday, Nov. 10.