This 22-Year-Old Series Is the Most Popular Crime Procedural on Streaming

For 22 years, NCIS has thrilled viewers with its capable team of investigators who dig into, solve, and stop some of the biggest naval-related crimes. And for 22 years, the show has not lost steam. New episodes air on CBS in their longtime Tuesday night slot. Additionally, NCIS remains one of the most-streamed procedurals, especially on Paramount+. The show regularly appears on the streamer’s global top ten chart, being one of the most consistent alongside the long-running animated comedy South Park. The TV ratings company Nielsen ranks NCIS second among the most-streamed acquired shows for the week of November 3 to November 9, with 770 million minutes watched. It’s only surpassed by the medical juggernaut Grey’s Anatomy at 866 million minutes.

NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) aired its pilot episode on September 23, 2003, starting as a spin-off of the legal military drama JAG (Judge Advocate General). The show was not a hit right out of the gate, struggling for the first several years before it exploded in popularity. It later spawned numerous spin-offs, becoming the largest television franchise in the world. The NCIS-verse has aired over 1,000 episodes across seven shows, with the mothership set to air its 500th episode on March 17, 2026.

‘NCIS’ Celebrates 500 Episodes Made in 22 Years

In the current TV landscape, where shows get cancelled before the first season is even done airing, 500 episodes is no minor feat. NCIS has survived cast departures, budget changes, schedule shifts, and more. It’s not lost on cast member Brian Dietzen how big a deal their 500th episode celebration in early December was. He recently told TV Insider:

“You kind of lose the forest for the trees because we’re just kind of going up there doing scene by scene and episode by episode trying to make good shows happen, so, you don’t really understand the totality of it until someone says, ‘OK, everybody stop. Let’s just stop. Let’s eat some cake and talk about what it means for 500.’ It’s pretty rare air now that I’m looking around the television landscape. You go, ‘Man, there’s not a lot of shows that are doing this sort of thing.’ So I feel really humbled and really honored that I have a part in that.”

A new episode airs Tuesday, December 16, and in it, Christmas comes to NCIS. The logline for Season 23, Episode 9, “Heaven and Nature,” teases: “McGee (Sean Murray) and Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) try to recover a stolen truck filled with toys for the Navy’s annual Christmas drive while the truth about Parker’s (Gary Cole) mother is finally revealed. Also, Knight (Katrina Law) is given her first NCIS: Elite mission, which involves tracking down a former member of the team.” Who is the former team member being tracked down? NCIS Season 23 also stars Rocky Carroll (Leon Vance) and Diona Reasonover (Kasie Hines).