The fall is coming around soon, and with it comes the return of the network television season. CBS will be bringing back its famedNCISflagship series and its attendant shows, including prequel series,NCIS: Originsand international spin-off,NCIS: Sydney. The Australian-based offshoot has had a somewhat difficult time breaking into the hearts and minds of die-hard fans, due to its minimal links to the flagship series. Nothing in the Season 22 finale of the flagship series suggests thatSydneywill be launching its first crossover with the rest of the franchise anytime soon. However,CBS has made the decision to move the international spin-off to a Tuesday time slotwith the rest of the franchise — a first for theNCISfranchise. Come the new television season,NCIS: Sydneywill air on Tuesday nights at 10PM, moving the show away from its previous Friday slot.
The decision to move the offshoot to the same night as the rest of the franchise givesNCIS: Sydneya higher chance of success. Its unique cast and overall storyline, airing alongside more successful franchise spin-offs, aid its chances of reaching its target audience and thus improve ratings. However, the switch does not come without its challenges. AsNCIS: Sydneycarves its own path forward, it does so with a powerhouse hovering.ABC’s fall 2025 schedulereveals that the network’s breakaway hit,High Potential, will now share a time slot withNCIS' least popular show. WhileNCIS: Sydneypremieres June 06, 2025, its ABC rival,High Potential, premieres its upcoming season on June 26, 2025, nearly a full month prior. This suggests that the ABC drama could very well be entrenched by the timeNCIS: Sydneyarrives, and dislodging it might prove difficult.
Potential Romance and More Action in ‘NCIS: Sydney’ Season 3
NCIS: Sydneyis led by Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey (Todd Lasance) and NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann). The pair and the show’s penchant for aunique brand of casesthat can only be found in Australia, has been one of the spin-off’s biggest selling points.Morgan O’Neilserves as showrunner, and in the aftermath of the series earning a renewal, the showrunnerteased what comes next. “Anything I say is going to be a little bit too leading, but I promise you, from all the way down here, Season 3 is going to be way bigger than Season 2,” O’Neil said.
While Season 3 appears poised to be quite exciting in terms of cases and crime fighting, there is potential for even more. Season 2 ofNCIS: Sydneyintroduced a potential romance between JD and Mackey, especially duringSeason 2’s two-part finale, where actions were far more potent than words. Speaking in a recent interview, showrunner O’Neildiscussed the potential for a possible workplace romancebetween the pair.
“Have [she and JD] both kind of gone back into their shells? It remains to be seen. I don’t know whether, intellectually thinking, ‘this was abadidea’ is ever as powerful as the emotional pull of ‘this is agoodidea. So, I think Season 3 will definitely pierce that tension.”
NCIS: SydneySeason 3 will premiere on June 08, 2025. In the meantime, Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Paramount+.
