Sydney Will Replace This Longstanding Police Procedural

After seeing CBS’ upcoming TV lineup, I’m shocked that NCIS: Sydney is the series that will be replacing this legendary police procedural show. The CBS fall TV schedule is now available on TV Guide, and I was surprised that the schedule favored the Aussie-based police drama over a show that has been on television for over a decade. I know it’s just the nature of the business, but the definitive legacy of the iconic procedural makes this change difficult to contend with. While I also understand that NCIS: Sydney season 2 being greenlit makes sense, not everyone is a fan of the international spin-off yet.

The series was successful in its first season and vital to CBS as a whole. NCIS: Sydney premiered 2023 during the writer’s strike, filling an essential programming need. Then, Sydney remained when NCIS: Hawai’i was canceled ahead of season 4, which shocked fans and actors alike. I found Hawai’i‘s cancelation sad, but I also found Sydney compelling, so I was happy to see the latter show continue. Certain aspects of the show still have room for improvement, but that also applies to just about any NCIS series. That said, I was astonished that CBS chose Sydney as the replacement for one of its biggest police procedurals in the fall TV lineup.

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NCIS: Sydney Will Replace Blue Bloods In The Mid-Season Fall 2024 TV Schedule

Blue Bloods Will End In 2024

I was taken aback when I saw that NCIS: Sydney would replace Blue Bloods mid-season this fall. After a brief hiatus, the latter will return to air the final four episodes of season 14. Blue Bloods centers on Tom Selleck as the Reagan family patriarch and his family in New York City law enforcement. It’s a legendary series within the police procedural genre, so I was surprised that it was canceled. However, I was even more surprised that NCIS: Sydney would replace it. I’ve heard many disproving comments about how CBS handles its cancelations, and replacing Blue Bloods with Sydney will likely add to it.

The announcement further signifies a divide between what content will look like before and after a general perspective shift geared toward streaming platforms. The decision mirrors NCIS breaking a 15-year spin-off tradition, green-lighting series like NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which will break from all the traditions the franchise has established concerning how it crafts spin-off series. While NCIS: Sydney is the NCIS franchise’s last remaining location-based spin-off, it still embodies many of the refreshing qualities embedded in newer spin-offs, which depart from the legacy left by shows like Blue Bloods.

What CBS Favoring NCIS: Sydney Means For The Future Of Police Procedurals

Police Procedurals Are Getting A Wider Lens

I know it’s just business, but this swap, which will unsettle some police procedural fans, signifies a more significant transition the network attempts to make. CBS favors more international, serialized stories as it shifts from network programming to universal streaming content, which reflects our rapidly expanding interconnected world. I believe people are curious about what’s happening in other parts of the world, and it’s been neat to see the NCIS franchise lean into that. It’s introducing new cultures to American audiences and expanding its programming to other parts of the world.

NCIS: Sydney has a considerably interconnected storyline, and the series will come up against the same villain in season 2. It better fits the desire to cater to television being watched in longer sessions and more parts of the world. While honing in on a family of New York cops is attractive for some, I do understand CBS favoring something like NCIS‘s Sydney spin-off to something like Blue Bloods. It represents one of the many rifts forming in the police procedural genre, as series like NCIS: Sydney, Origins, and Tony & Ziva continue defying expectations.

Source: TV Guide

NCIS: Sydney

NCIS: Sydney is an Australian crime-police procedural series and is another spin-off in the long-running NCIS franchise. The series is set in Sydney, Australia, and follows Special Agent-in-Charge Michelle Mackey as she and her fellow partners deal with various high-profile cases and crimes.

Cast

Olivia Swann , Todd Lasance , Sean Sagar , Tuuli Narkle , Mavournee Hazel , William McInnes

Release Date

November 10, 2023

Seasons

1