Australia will become the first country outside the US to make a local series of the long-running police investigative drama NCIS.
The cast of NCIS: Sydney has yet to be announced but Paramount+ and Network Ten have promised the show will feature Australian stories and Australian talent.
The Australian executive producer of the original CBS drama and the creator of the spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles, Shane Brennan, will be involved in the project.
The series is expected to debut globally in 2023. It is the first international spin off of the show, with other versions set in New Orleans and Hawaii.
Now into its 19th season, NCIS – centred on a fictional team of naval criminal investigative service agents – is the second longest running US prime time drama after Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The franchise is shown in 200 markets worldwide and in 2021-22 remained the US’s most watched series.
The chief content officer and executive vice-president of ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand, Beverley McGarvey, said the Sydney spin-off would “incorporate the superior NCIS storytelling while introducing new Australian characters and locations”.
