NCIS is going international.
It was back in February 2022 that it was announced that a new NCIS would be produced for Paramount+ Australia and Network 10, and now, over a year later, filming is underway in Sydney, and we have casting news. NCIS: Sydney follows the brilliant and eclectic team of U.S. NCIS Agents and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in a multi-national task force as they keep naval crimes in check in the most contested patch of ocean on the planet.
The team will be led by NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey (Legends of Tomorrow‘s Olivia Swann) and her 2IC AFP counterpart, Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey (Spartacus: War of the Damned‘s Todd Lasance). Joining them are Sean Sagar as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, 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. Check out a cast photo above.
“Wow. One of the best-loved franchises in the world in the hands of one of our best production companies and an outrageously talented cast and crew,” Rick Maier, Head of Drama, Paramount Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement. “NCIS: Sydney is exciting for all of us at Paramount and we hope one of the most eagerly anticipated commissions of the year.”
Added Lindsey Martin, Head of International Co-Productions and Development at CBS Studios, “We are thrilled to be expanding the NCIS franchise, one of our most powerful and iconic television IPs, across borders and into Australia. It is a joy to work with this talented NCIS: Sydney creative team, actors, and crew for our inaugural international original, and to be able to tell our exciting NCIS stories with a uniquely Australian sensibility.”
Endemol Shine Australia Head of Scripted, Sara Richardson, said, “At the heart of NCIS are charismatic and engaging characters that audiences fall in love with. We have found just that with our incredible cast and the tight team they have formed. This first international iteration has all the DNA of the beloved franchise, but with a quintessentially Australian flavour.”
The first NCIS, going into its 21st season, first premiered in 2003 as a backdoor pilot on JAG. It has since led to three of its own spinoffs — Los Angeles (which just ended after 14 seasons), New Orleans (which ran seven seasons), and Hawai’i (heading into its third season). NCIS is one of the world’s most successful TV dramas, ranking globally as the #1 U.S. TV drama franchise.
NCIS: Sydney is produced for CBS Studios and Paramount Australia by Endemol Shine Australia and distributed outside Australia by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
