NCIS Spinoff Includes Easter Eggs To Original Series & More

•  NCIS: Sydney, the latest spinoff in the NCIS franchise, will feature Easter eggs and references to the original series and overall franchise.
•  The decision to move NCIS: Sydney to CBS was a result of the writers’ strike, which led to changes in the network’s schedule.
•  The new spinoff focuses on rising international tensions in the Indo-Pacific and follows a diverse team of U.S. NCIS Agents and Australian Federal Police.

The latest NCIS spinoff, NCIS: Sydney, will include Easter eggs to the original show and nods to the overall franchise. The decision to move NCIS: Sydney to CBS transpired due to the writers’ strike that occurred over the summer, forcing broadcast networks to change their schedule. One of those changes was to move the Sydney offshoot away from streaming, instead premiering it on CBS and maintaining a long-standing NCIS tradition. The new spinoff not only carries the NCIS name but will reference the overall NCIS franchise.

In an interview with TVLine to promote NCIS: Sydney, which debuts November 14 and will also be available to stream on Paramount+, series creator Morgan O’Neill was asked whether there would be references to other NCIS shows. O’Neill confirmed there would be, specifically mentioning Easter eggs. Read the full response below:

Look, there are a couple of little Easter eggs there. I won’t spoil them, but they’re definitely there. One of the things that I think audiences love about this show is the fact that it feels like a universe, not individual shows. And while they each have their own DNA, I think that’s what was really clever about the way CBS developed this franchise is they didn’t go out to make the same show twice. If you look at the original show, the mothership, it’s very different from L.A.

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What To Expect From NCIS: Sydney

NCIS: Sydney focuses on rising international tensions in the Indo-Pacific, shedding light on “the brilliant and eclectic” team of U.S. NCIS Agents and the Australian Federal Police. It shows how they ended up as part of a multi-national task force to keep naval crimes in check in the most contested patch of ocean on the planet.

NCIS: Sydney features an ensemble cast. Todd Lasance stars as Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey. He appears along with Sean Sagar as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey, Tuuli Narkle as AFP Liaison Officer Constable Evie Cooper, Mavournee Hazel as AFP Forensic Scientist Bluebird ‘Blue’ Gleeson, and William McInnes as AFP Forensic Pathologist Dr. Roy Penrose.

Although writers’ rooms have reopened with the WGA strike officially over, the actors’ strike remains as SAG-AFTRA continues to negotiate a fairer contract with studios and streamers. NCIS: Sydney may be in a good position to succeed, as it’s one of the relatively few new scripted originals that will be airing on broadcast TV for months. That success could lead to an eventual spinoff with the other NCIS shows.