In 2003, the CBS military legal drama JAG aired two episodes that acted as a backdoor pilot for a spin-off series, and 20 years later, NCIS is one of the most popular scripted dramas around the world with anticipation building for NCIS season 21 news every day. NCIS is a crime procedural with a unique twist – all of its criminal investigations are related to the military. Since its debut, it’s had three successful spin-off series of its own and one that didn’t come to fruition. The first international spin-off of the show, NCIS: Sydney, begins airing in 2023 as well.
Over two decades of episodes, there have been a lot of character departures for NCIS, but NCIS season 21 is expected to see much of the main cast the audience has known for the previous two seasons remain. Storylines are expected to expand the history and relationships of those characters, some of whom have only been a part of the NCIS family for a few years. NCIS season 21 is facing a bit of a delay, but that will only lead to more fans being interested in what the show has in store for those characters.
The Latest NCIS Season 21 News
Since NCIS first spun out of the CBS series JAG in 2002, it has been a part of the CBS fall lineup, but the latest NCIS season 21 news is that 2023 marks the first year the show won’t be a part of that schedule. There will be very little scripted content debuting for the 2023-2024 tv season between September and November when the new seasons usually debut as a result of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild are on strike for the first time together in decades. While the WGA strike began in May, the SAG-AFTRA strike began in July, which means even if finished scripts were available when the WGA strike began, there were no actors available to film NCIS season 21 just two months later. The unions are on strike after negotiations with producers and studio heads for fair pay, compensation for streaming series, and more responsible use of artificial intelligence fell through. Until the negotiations are complete, neither union will be returning to work, delaying shows like NCIS season 21 indefinitely.
NCIS Season 21 Is Confirmed
Though NCIS season 21 has been delayed, it is still confirmed to be renewed by CBS. CBS announced a renewal for NCIS season 21 in February 2023 alongside a renewal announcement for NCIS: Hawai’i season 3.
NCIS Season 21 Release Date Prediction
Though NCIS season 21 was originally announced to debut in the fall, the current release date for the new NCIS season is unknown. It’s possible that the series could debut in early 2024 with a limited number of episodes if it is able to head into production in late 2023, but that seems unlikely.
Instead, it’s more likely that NCIS season 21 will be delayed until the 2024-2025 TV season, giving the writers and actors more time to get back to work after the strikes have concluded and still have a full season of the series.
Where To Watch NCIS Season 21
NCIS season 21 will be available to watch live on CBS when it debuts and available to stream on Paramount+ the next day. Originally, CBS had included NCIS season 21 as part of its Monday night lineup, airing at 9 PM ahead of NCIS Hawai’i season 3. It’s not clear if the series will retain that night and time slot when it returns to television.
The first 20 seasons of NCIS, as well as the rest of the franchise, are available to watch on Paramount+ while fans wait for the debut of NCIS season 21.
