How closely will this new spinoff be tied to the other shows?
NCIS: Sydney is the fourth spinoff to emerge from the 2003 main program, which itself originated from JAG. However, it stands out from the others in a significant way because it is the first to be set outside of the United States. As a result, one may contend that, in contrast to the other shows, the Australian program will feel more independent. Don’t assume, though, that Sydney won’t acknowledge other facets of the NCIS universe.
With just a few weeks left to go until NCIS: Sydney’s premiere on CBS stateside, showrunner Morgan O’Neill chatted with TV Line about this entry on the 2023 TV schedule, including how it will connect with the other NCIS shows. When the outlet asked if there would be any “nods,” O’Neill answered:
There are a few small Easter eggs there, as you can see. They are undoubtedly there, albeit I won’t reveal them. The fact that this program feels like a world rather than a collection of separate episodes is one of the things I believe viewers adore about it. Even though they all have unique personalities, I believe that CBS Studios’ development of this franchise was incredibly smart in that they avoided creating the same show twice. The mothership, the original television program, is significantly different from L.A.
There’s a fine line to be walked when it comes to building shared universes, especially on television. For a procedural continuity like NCIS, while it is important that each show feel unique in various ways, they still need to feel like they’re all taking place within the same world rather than feeling drastically different from one another. Additionally, although O’Neil said that these don’t feel like “individual shows,” it’s nonetheless important that each NCIS series can stand out on its own, i.e. a viewer can easily follow along with one show without any issues, as opposed to feeling like it’s also required that they watch all the other shows.
So as far as NCIS: Sydney is concerned, while no major characters from any of the other shows will be visiting the Land Down Under anytime soon, there will be those handful of Easter eggs in these first few episodes to remind viewers that this is just one corner of a larger fictional world. Morgan O’Neill also talked about how important it was that Sydney feel authentic to its title location, as opposed to the resemblance being in name only:
Each show gets a different tonality, a different vibe, a different pace, a different rhythm, a different color palette, a different sensibility. I feel like what CBS Studios did really cleverly was they realized that they needed to expand the audience and to expand the universe, but not just replicate it. So when they came to us, I kind of sat down and watched about 950 episodes of NCIS [programs] in the space of a few weeks to get myself up to speed — I feel like I have a PhD in NCIS! — and what I realized was that they were looking to capture the authenticity of a place. So I went back to [CBS Studios chief] David Stapf and his crew and said, ‘In order for this to be successful, I think it really has to capture that authentic rhythm, that authentic cultural sensibility of Australia — the colors, the flavor. We should lean into it.’ And they said, ‘That’s music to our ears. Go for it.’
Olivia Swann, Todd Lasance, Sean Sagar, Tuuli Narkle, Mavournee Hazel, and William McInnes are among the cast members of NCIS: Sydney. The show’s plot centers on an alliance between Australian Federal Police officers and NCIS operatives, which takes the form of a multinational task force. Despite being the fifth NCIS program overall, it will only be one of three that airs; the other two being NCIS: Hawai’i and the regular NCIS. After 14 seasons, NCIS: Los Angeles came to an end earlier this year, and NCIS: New Orleans ran for seven seasons until ending in 2021.
NCIS: Sydney premieres Tuesday, November 14 on CBS, and episodes will be available to stream afterwards with a Paramount+ subscription. Keep visiting CinemaBlend for more news concerning this latest spinoff, including if any especially interesting NCIS Easter eggs are thrown in.