Leroy Jethro Gibbs will return.
After months of will-they-or-won’t-they uncertainty, CBS has decided to renew NCIS for a 19th season. Most crucially, the network also locked down star Mark Harmon to stay aboard the procedural, which continues to rank as TV’s most watched drama series. CBS also renewed Magnum P.I., SWAT, Blue Bloods and Bull for additional seasons on Thursday.
In February, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Harmon was ready to move on from the role he originated on the CBS drama JAG back in 2003. Then, the actor and executive producer was informed that CBS would likely end NCIS if he retired from the show. The ultimatum prompted Harmon to enter negotiations to return.
What remains unclear is whether Harmon will be back on NCIS full-time. One option that was being explored during negotiations was for Harmon to only appear in a limited number of episodes. It’s also uncertain how many episodes season 19 will consist of — the novel coronavirus pandemic resulted in shortened 17th and 18th seasons, and it’s unclear at this time if season 19 will be similarly affected. Whether this will be the show’s final season is likewise not yet known.
But the renewal edges NCIS closer to potentially becoming the longest-running U.S. primetime drama series of all time, with only Law & Order: SVU (22 seasons and counting), the original Law & Order (20 seasons) and Gunsmoke (20 seasons) having a more protracted run.
NCIS remains a ratings powerhouse, regularly drawing more than 12 million viewers per episode (even its reruns tend to rule the night among total viewers). Yet, at this point, the show’s talent and producer contracts make the drama CBS’ most expensive production, and its renewal each year has become a tricky cost-benefit analysis.
(Excerpt) Read more in: The Hollywood Reporter