NCIS: Los Angeles is expanding its series finale to two episodes. The double series ender will air at 10 p.m. Sunday, May 14, the date previously announced as the series finale, and at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 21, on CBS. Following the May 21 episode, CBS will air A Salute to NCIS: Los Angeles an Entertainment Tonight special that takes a look back at the past 14 years of the series.
One of CBS’s longest-running scripted shows, NCIS: Los Angeles, will be coming to an end after 322 episodes. Its current 14th season will be the show’s last, with the series finale set for May 14, airing on the network and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+. The NCIS spinoff, starring LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell, is tied as the fifth longest-running CBS primetime scripted series ever, behind only Gunsmoke, Lassie, CSI and Criminal Minds.
Monday’s first crossover between NCIS and its spinoffs NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawai’i helped boost the CBS viewership averages in delayed viewing. The 20-year-old mothership posted the night’s top seven-day playback in viewers (11.25 million) making it Monday’s No. 1 non-sports primetime program in viewers with a best seven-day audience since Jan. 24, 2022, according to Nielsen results. NCIS: Hawai’i picked up an additional 3.19m viewers in live plus seven-day playback (10.55m from 7.36m). That’s the show’s best seven-day Monday audience ever. And NCIS: Los Angeles added 3.16m viewers (9.96m from 6.80m) in live plus seven-day playback from live plus same day ratings. That was NCIS: LA’s best seven-day viewers delivery since March 17, 2019.
For the first time, CBS will air a special three-hour crossover event between NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i and NCIS: Los Angeles this season. The all-night storyline is set for Monday, Jan. 2.
When NCIS Special Agents land in the crosshairs of a hitman, it will fuel CBS’ first-ever three-way crossover between NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawai’i. NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i have crossed over twice thus far, including with their very recent season premieres. But NCIS: Los Angeles, which kick off its 14th season this Sunday at 10 p.m. ET, has yet to join in the fun.
The NCIS franchise as currently constituted will remain intact for the 2022-23 season. CBS has picked up all three series — flagship NCIS, long-running spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles and newcomer NCIS: Hawai’i — for next season. NCIS will hit its landmark 20th season in 2022-23, while Los Angeles will enter its 14th season and Hawai’i its second.
Exclusives
Exactly a year after the winter 2021 COVID surge delayed post-holiday break return to production on most TV shows, the omicron variant’s ultra wide spread is once again interrupting TV production. According to sources, NCIS has paused production after a positive test in Zone A, which includes the cast and those interacting with them. The case is believed to involve a cast member. For now, the intention is still for the show to resume filming with the NCIS: Hawai’i crossover episode next week but plans are all in flux amid the unprecedented infection rates. Meanwhile, NCIS: LA has delayed return to production until February, sources say.
The NCIS franchise will be back to three series on CBS next season. The network has renewed veteran NCIS: Los Angeles for a 13th season. Additionally, the network has given a straight-to-series order to new offshoot NCIS: Hawaii, the first installment in the NCIS franchise with a female lead.
Broadcast TV series are very slowly and cautiously heading back to production amid the coronavirus pandemic. CBS drama stalwart NCIS and spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles have been assigned tentative dates to start production on their upcoming seasons under strict COVID-19 protocols — Sept. 9 for the mothership series and Sept. 3 for NCIS: L.A. Both series, produced by CBS TV Studios, film in Los Angeles.
As expected, CBS has renewed NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans the 2019-2020 season. NCIS: Los Angeles will be back for an eleventh season, NCIS: New Orleans for a sixth. The pickups follow the recent renewal of the mothership series NCIS as CBS is keeping the crime procedural franchise intact. The casts of both NCIS spinoffs are expected to return.
CBS is pulling previously scheduled terrorism-related episodes of Supergirl and NCIS: Los Angeles from its schedule Monday, following the devastating attacks in Paris.
Strong Season Finales For CBS Dramas
It’s amazing what not having to face American Idol can do for a show’s ratings. The season finale of CBS’s NCIS grew 15% last night compared to last year, when it faced Idol, which has since moved from Tuesday to Wednesday. NCIS averaged a 3.8 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., and also beat the other hit show in the timeslot, Fox’s Glee, which averaged a 3.5. CBS’s other dramas also saw their season finales grow compared to last year.
