The latest addition to the realm of police procedural dramas, “NCIS: Sydney,” has quickly ascended to the upper echelons of television rankings during its inaugural season. Originating as a spin-off of the immensely popular “NCIS” series, this iteration found its footing initially on Paramount+ in Australia before crossing over to American CBS airwaves in November. It seamlessly filled the Tuesday night slot left vacant by production delays resulting from last year’s actors and writers strikes.
Premiering on Nov. 14, “NCIS: Sydney” consistently commanded substantial viewership, averaging 5 million viewers per week and maintaining a steady range between 4.7 million and 5.5 million, as per Nielsen data. Its series finale, aired on Jan. 23, claimed the 10th spot among the most-watched broadcast programs of the week, trailing only behind NFL conference championship programming, and popular series like “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire,” “60 Minutes,” “Chicago PD,” and “Law And Order: SVU.”
Throughout its eight-episode run, “NCIS: Sydney” consistently outperformed other top-ranking shows such as “The Masked Singer,” “Shark Tank,” and “Celebrity Jeopardy!” In fact, during four out of its eight weeks on air, “NCIS: Sydney” surpassed all other broadcast television programs except for NFL broadcasts and staple shows like “60 Minutes,” “The Voice,” “Survivor,” and “Dancing with the Stars.”
CBS reports that the show garnered nearly 24 million unique viewers in its debut season, securing its position as the network’s top primetime entertainment series based on multi-platform viewing metrics.
However, despite the cliffhanger finale episode, a confirmation for a second season of the spin-off has not yet been made.
The success of police procedural dramas has endured for decades, with seminal shows like “Dragnet” in the 1950s paving the way. The genre’s popularity persisted through subsequent decades with hits like “Starsky & Hutch,” “Hill Street Blues,” and “Cagney & Lacey” in the 1970s and 80s, followed by modern-day classics such as “Law & Order,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “The Wire,” and “Criminal Minds.”
Spin-offs of successful series, particularly within the police procedural genre, have often found considerable success, exemplified by enduring franchises like “NCIS” and “Law & Order.” Notably, “NCIS” itself originated as a spin-off from the series “JAG.”
“NCIS: Sydney” follows the familiar pattern of its predecessors, involving a joint task force comprising NCIS agents and Australian Federal Police investigating crimes primarily involving American military personnel. Showrunner and creator Morgan O’Neill has deliberately adhered to this tried-and-tested formula, emphasizing the principle of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Furthermore, “NCIS: Sydney” is not the only spin-off currently airing, as the third season of “NCIS: Hawai’i” is set to premiere soon, albeit delayed due to last year’s Hollywood strikes.
+ There are no comments
Add yours