NCIS Makes Major Change For the First Time in Show History
By Movieguide® Staff
After 18 Seasons of NCIS, the hit crime series cemented itself as a staple on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. However, the most-watched series on CBS and Mark Harmon are moving to a new time slot for the upcoming season.
CBS announced that NCIS will air on Mondays and that Tuesday’s lineup will consist of FBI, FBI: INTERNATIONAL and FBI: MOST WANTED.
The change mirrors NBC’s strategy of showing three dramas from one franchise on the same night.
“The one-night, three-dramas, one-franchise scheduling conducive to frequent crossovers has become a Dick Wolf special, with CBS’ FBI Tuesday mirroring NBC’s One Chicago Wednesday and new Law & Order Thursday, giving the uber producer three consecutive nights across two broadcast networks,” Deadline reported.
The network also hopes that NCIS will provide Monday’s slate—which used to be a mainstay for CBS with shows like CSI: MIAMI, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, and TWO AND A HALF MEN—with a much-needed boost in viewership. The new NCIS offshoot NCIS: HAWAII will also premiere on Monday at 10 p.m.
“We ware looking at this as a long-term scheduling move,” CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl told Deadline. “How do you help a night? You help a night by moving the No. 1 drama there and use that drama to launch another show. Instantly, our Monday night becomes very very strong. Our Tuesday night becomes very strong.”
View the complete list of changes here.
Movieguide® previously reported on the latest spin-off, NCIS: HAWAII:
NCIS: HAWAII announced Vanessa Lachey as the newest spinoff series lead and additional cast members Yasmine Al-Bustami and Jason Antoon.
Lachey plays Jane Tennant, the first woman SAC of NCIS: HAWAII. Lachey previously starred in Fox’s CALL ME KAT and BH90210. She also appeared on HAWAII FIVE-0 on CBS.
Co-star Yasmine Al-Bustami plays the role of the team’s junior member, Lucy.
Al-Bustami plays the role of Ramah in the faith-based series based on the life of Jesus, THE CHOSEN, and starred in the CBS reboot of SWAT.
The announcement comes after CBS renewed NCIS and its spinoff NCIS: LOS ANGELES. However, NCIS: NEW ORLEANS will not continue after the end of its current season.