I’ve been watching NCIS since stumbling upon the popular show on USA Network in 2008, five years after it premiered on CBS as a JAG spinoff. However, until the last couple years, I wouldn’t have considered myself a fan of the NCIS franchise as a whole. I watched Los Angeles for the first few seasons, then dropped off, and I never watched New Orleans and Hawai’i. But in 2025, clearly I was finally fully onboard with the franchise, as I watched all four NCIS shows that aired last year.
For those keeping track, that’s NCIS, NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Sydney and NCIS: Tony & Ziva (which was recently cancelled). The first three continued their runs on CBS, while the latter streamed exclusively with a Paramount+ subscription. While I enjoyed watching all these shows in 2025, there was a clear favorite for me as the year ended and we entered the 2026 TV schedule. Join me as I go over why Origins is currently my favorite NCIS show.
The New Characters Are Just As Compelling As The Established Ones
Like a lot of NCIS fans who tuned into NCIS: Origins, I went into the show primarily interested in seeing the younger versions of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Mike Franks. While Austin Stowell and Kyle Schmid do an admirable job playing them, I also greatly enjoy watching their fellow series regulars, i.e. Mariel Molino’s Lala, Caleb Foote’s Randy, Tyla Abercrumbie’s Mary Jo and Diany Rodriguez’s Vera. From Lala dealing with the aftermath of her car accident at the end of Season 1 to learning about Mary Jo’s heartbreaking backstory, I look forward to following along with them each week just as I do Gibbs and Franks.
Origins also carves out time to flesh out its recurring characters. This can be something as big as Cliff Wheeler revealed to be a closeted gay man (more on that later) to something as simple as Gail’s eccentric organization system. It makes the Pendleton NIS office feel like a real place filled with unique personalities rather than just a building full of nameless extras walking around our main characters. It makes me more invested in their well being and what happens to them.
The Show Delves Into Pretty Dark Corners For Network TV
There’s only so much that network TV programming can get away with under FCC restrictions, so you’ll never see violence and gore on the level that can be shown on premium cable channels and the streaming platforms. NCIS: Origins, however, manages to work within these limitations quite well. Like the other NCIS shows, there are all sorts of murder victims we see week after week, and some are especially brutal. Some of these sights really push the boundaries of TV-14.
But with Origins, it goes beyond just the visuals. The show also excels at diving into the psyches of many of its criminal offenders, whether we’re talking about the Sandman serial killer from multiple Season 1 episodes (both Bugs and the real deal) or a handful of single-episode baddies, like the man revealed as Tish’s rapist in “From the Ashes.” This prequel will never be rated TV-MA, but it’s certainly not having any problems delivering dark storytelling.
I Appreciate The '90s Nostalgia, But Am Also Reminded Of How Far We’ve Come
I was born in 1991, the same year that NCIS: Origins begins. So while I obviously don’t have any memories from the early ‘90s, I’m still quite familiar with the nostalgia from this decade on display in the series. Pay phones, the older cars, the music of that era (like when Randy blasts Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’s “Good Vibrations” in the Season 2 premiere), references to movies like the then-upcoming A Few Good Men, there’s so much to enjoy. That’s one of the reasons I want this show to run as long as possible, because I want to see these characters react to more pop culture happenings coming later in the ‘90s.
At the same time, Origins also reminds us periodically how life has improved in the following three decades. While there’s still, unfortunately, sexism in the workplace, it’s not as pronounced as what Lala, Vera and Mary Jo have to deal with every now and then. As a bigger example, Cliff Wheeler is leading NIS at a time when revealing his sexuality could lead to him being relieved of his duties. Some things in the ‘90s were great, but other things are better off left behind.
It’s Novel Watching Crimes Being Solved Before The Digital Era
NCIS: Origins takes place at a time when there’s only one computer at the Pendleton NIS office. It’s primarily used by Randy to digitize case files, and obviously it’s a dinosaur by today’s standards; it takes 8-12 minutes just to cool down if it overheats! These days, computers and smart devices are irreplaceable parts of our lives, and this improved technology makes it easier to solve crimes, as seen in the present day NCIS shows.
And yet, it’s novel seeing crimes being solved in these years before the digital era truly takes off and the internet gets launched. More phone calls need to be made, files and evidence needs have to always be physically sifted through, old school investigation tactics become all the more important for tracking down the killers, the list goes on. This works to Origins’ favor in making it stand out from the franchise’s other shows and add to the charm of this being a period piece.
NCIS: Origins continued to impress in its second year on the air, and I’m hopeful this will continue into Year 3. We’ll have to wait a while for Season 2 to resume airing, though, as it, NCIS and NCIS: Sydney are on break until February 24 because of the Olympics. Once it does pick back up, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that an Origins Season 3 announcement comes not long after, because I’d like to back here this time next year to see if this still ranks at the top of my list that now consists of just three shows.
