Picture: CBS
NCIS is currently airing its 21st season on CBS, making it the third-longest-running scripted series on the airwaves right now. For many years, new seasons have come to Netflix, but the streamer has been stuck up to season 15 in the US for years now. What’s going on? Will NCIS be leaving Netflix? Here’s what we know.
Before we dig in, we need to preface this article with the fact that only Netflix US currently has access to NCIS. As a result, this article is targeted at Netflixers in the United States as it’s not applicable elsewhere.
NCIS has been on our screens for well over 15 years now, and fans still keep returning for more. The franchise has spawned multiple spin-offs over its run, with titles such as NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans, but only the original series is used to get regular updates on Netflix.
For those new to the show, “The Major Case Response Team” is part of the fictional Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The team is based in Washington, D.C., in the field office of the Washington Navy Yard. If a crime is committed by a member of the Marine Corps or Navy, the MCRT is sent in to investigate.
The series is notably one of the most-watched acquired series on Netflix US. Nielsen Top 10 data continues to show that the series is a huge draw for users, with it acquiring 586 million minutes in the week between August 23rd and August 29th alone back in 2022. In 2023, the series was the third most streamed show, behind only Bluey and Suits.
NCIS – Picture: ViacomCBS
Will Seasons 16-21 of NCIS eventually be released on Netflix?
Since 2018, two of CBS’s significant titles on Netflix have no longer received annual updates.
Season 15, still the newest season on Netflix, was added back in June 2018, but we’ve seen no new season since then. The other significant show that wasn’t updated annually despite still running was Criminal Minds which also stopped adding new seasons back in 2018. Criminal Minds, as you may know, departed Netflix at the end of June 2022.
So what’s happening? Officially, neither CBS nor Netflix has provided us with a statement regarding the show’s future, but the indication is that the contract to get annual updates ended, and now we’re probably waiting until the day when the two titles are taken away from Netflix favor of going exclusive on Paramount+.
As of 2024, then, Paramount+ is the best way to watch NCIS. We don’t mean that in the sense that Paramount+ is the better streaming service, we’re referring to the fact that it’s the only way to watch every season of NCIS including the new ones. The missing Netflix seasons are on Paramount+, and the service also gets new episodes soon after they air, too.
NCIS – Picture: ViacomCBS
Two other CBS shows that used to get regular updates on Netflix also stopped but furthermore also departed Netflix. Hawaii Five-0 left Netflix in February 2019 and Blue Bloods followed suit in November 2019. Both shows will only be available to stream on Paramount+.
Our understanding is that NCIS will be leaving Netflix on June 30th, 2024.
Is NCIS on Netflix in other regions?
Unfortunately for fans of the show in the United Kingdom, NCIS is not on Netflix. The show transitioned away from Sky in recent years (the spin-offs haven’t), with Disney+ being the best place to watch the show with Paramount+ carrying a few seasons and Prime Video carrying only a single season.
In Canada, the show has transitioned away from GlobalTV over the past year, with all seasons available on Paramount+. The same applies in Australia with the show also available on Binge.
Do you wish Netflix had seasons 16 through 22 on Netflix? Will you be sad to see NCIS leave Netflix? Let us know in the comments below.