After months of uncertainty, Harmon and CBS have reached an agreement to keep the procedure alive – yet the key questions remain.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs will return.
After months of want-them-or-not-them-uncertainty, CBS has decided to renew NCIS for a 19th season. Most importantly, the network also locked up star Mark Harmon to stay aboard the procedure, which is still the most-watched TV series. CBS is also renewed Magnum PI, SWAT., Nobility and Bull for additional seasons on Thursday.
In February, sources said The Hollywood Reporter that Harmon was ready to step down from the role he played in the CBS drama HUNT back in 2003. Then the actor and executive producer was informed that CBS would probably end NCIS if he retired from the program. The ultimatum prompted Harmon to enter into negotiations to return.
What remains unclear is whether Harmon will be on again. NCIS full time. One option explored during negotiations was that Harmon would only appear in a limited number of episodes. It is also uncertain how many episodes season 19 will consist of – the novel coronavirus pandemic led to shortened 17th and 18th seasons, and it is unclear whether season 19 will be affected the same. Whether this will be the last season of the show is also not yet known.
But the renewal sides NCIS closer to potentially the longest-running American primary drama series of all time, with only Law and order: SVU (22 seasons and counting), the original Law and order (20 seasons) and Rifle smoke (20 seasons) with a long run.
NCIS remains a force that regularly draws more than 12 million viewers per episode (even the reruns rule the night among the total viewers). But at this point, the show’s talent and producer contracts make the drama CBS ‘most expensive production, and renewing it annually becomes a troublesome cost-benefit analysis.
The agreement comes as NCIS: New Orleans prepares to close next month after seven seasons, NCIS: Los Angeles continues its twelfth season (and is still waiting for news of a renewal) and the prospect of another spin-off is warming up – NCIS: Hawaiiwhich according to sources is the first female lead role of the franchise.
As for the other renewals, Magnum PI will get a fourth season, SWAT a fifth season, Nobility a 12th season and Bull a sixth season.
Representatives of CBS and Harmon declined to comment.
For more information, see THRBroadcast scorecard for what’s new, which is being canceled.