The NCIS franchise is banking on the past to ensure its future but is that wise?

NCIS looks to be going into the past with some new projects. But it may be that trying to replicate the past is only going to hurt the future of the franchise!

The franchise is in a bit of flux right now. The mothership series is still going strong, airing the 1000th episode of the franchise and set for another year. There’s also the successful Sydney spinoff, which took it to international waters. Plus, there are plans for two prominent spinoffs, one focusing on a younger Gibbs and the other reuniting Tony and Ziva on an adventure in Europe. 

In short, it should be a great time to be an NCIS fan…unless you’re a fan of NCIS: Hawaii. Despite fantastic ratings and a strong fan following, CBS axed the spinoff after just three seasons, making it the shortest run for any NCIS show. This has thrown off fans as it looks like CBS wants to play into the past of NCIS rather than the future, which could be a bad idea. 

Why NCIS is going retro

Let’s face it: Television has always felt more comfortable treading familiar ground than embarking on something fresh and new. It’s been like that for years, with scores of procedural shows and the rise of reboots and sequel series. With a franchise like NCIS, looking to their past makes a bit of sense with the fan appeal.

Obviously, a young Gibbs show would be a good idea as there’s scores of stories to tell from his younger years and what shaped him into the agent we know and love. There’s so much potential in an NCIS series set in the 1990s with the different technology, culture and such and that “retro” feel can be a boon.

Likewise, fans have wanted to see Tony and Ziva back on NCIS for years and a show focusing on them racing around Europe sounds better. CBS is listening to fan demand here and fans are interested in seeing these returns to their favorite time with NCIS.

The problem is, nostalgia can be a double-edged sword. For every sequel or reboot series that works is another that has fans wishing they’d just let things be. Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo are both older, and who Tiva are in the new show won't be the same as who they were on the flagship. Likewise, seeing another actor as Gibbs may take getting used to, and the retro feel may not connect to the audience like CBS hopes.

So betting on these spin-offs when the odds of them connecting with viewers is tricky can be a risk for the shows. More importantly, emphasizing the past so much ignores the future of NCIS, something that can harm the long-term franchise. 

Why NCIS should look to the future rather than the past

Some recent TV shows have been able to bridge the gap between a past series and a new future for the property. Star Trek: Picard was wonderful, reuniting some old Star Trek characters with new ones and culminated in a great three-season run. Other shows have likewise managed to balance it out like the various Star Wars series. However, CBS looking at the past of NCIS may be a problem.

Look at NCIS: Hawaii, the first series with a female agent as the lead and a strongly written lesbian romance between Lucy and Kate. This show had so much going for it in storytelling with Tennant a believable leader, a mother and fighter. There was also great potential in the other characters, all feeling fresh compared to the folks on the mothership we’ve known for years. 

To throw that all away for two shows on characters we’ve already known for so long seems very backward. While Sydney had detractors, it still showed an interesting direction in an NCIS show set in another country and season 2 can build on that. NCIS should be considering ways to build on what they have rather than replay the past. 

It just seems it would have been better to build up another show, if not Hawaii, then one set in the present with a fresh look and characters. Fans took quickly to the NCIS: Hawaii team, especially Kate and Lucy, proving they'll respond as well to new characters as to any older ones. That's something a franchise should focus on.

A spin-off to complement the mothership is a better bet for NCIS rather than give us a whole series about Gibbs’ past or Tony and Ziva playing Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Having the mothership be the only regular NCIS show rather than the spinoffs backing it up doesn’t seem right as we lose crossovers and more interactions.

The 1000th episode of NCIS showed a talk on the franchise and its past, as well as how it was looking forward to a bolder future. Instead, CBS is taking a step back, rehashing nostalgia rather than building what made NCIS so popular: the compelling characters and great storytelling. Yes, fans may want to enjoy these new spinoffs, but they also want to see NCIS continue with new creative strokes rather than replay past ones. 

Maybe these new spinoffs will work, yet when the newest NCIS show is canceled for them, it paints a troubling image that the producers are putting too much stock in the past rather than the franchise’s future. Fan service only goes so far, and NCIS would be better off planning for fresher tales rather than relying on nostalgia to carry the franchise further.

NCIS airs Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.