‘NCIS’ Changing Nights Next Season

NCIS may have been renewed for a 19th season, but there is a big change coming for fans of the CBS procedural. After years of holding down the 8 p.m. slot on Tuesdays, NCIS will be moving to Monday nights at 9 p.m. ahead of the freshman series NCIS: Hawai’i at 10 p.m. Variety reports that this move was made to create an FBI block on Tuesdays, with FBI airing at 8 p.m., newcomer FBI: International at 9 p.m., and FBI: Most Wanted closing out the night at 10 p.m.

This move comes on the heels of the news that Mark Harmon will indeed be returning to star in the latest season of NCIS after persistent rumors that he would be exiting the series. While this shift may be jarring for some longtime fans, CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl is confident that the ratings juggernaut can survive the shake-up.

“If you look at the proof of what does work, these franchises work,” Kahl told Variety. “And they and they work on a multitude of levels. They generally get pretty darn good live ratings, they get good delayed viewing, and they stream pretty well. That’s a win-win-win. That’s a win for viewers, that’s a win for the shows, that’s a win for the companies that own them. That’s what we’re looking for these days.”

“It doesn’t mean we can’t try new things, new dramas, they don’t all have to be franchises,” he explained. “But certainly, in terms of this environment and giving yourself a leg up, when you can put a show on that people perk up and recognize, that helps.”

As far as Harmon’s time leading NCIS, Kahl didn’t get into the specifics of what fans can expect from the next season, but he sang the praises of both the actor and the show in general. “We take it year by year with Mark, we’d love to have him as long as he’d like to be here,” he admitted. “Even in this past season, he might have been light in a couple of [episodes], so we’re happy to work around his schedule.” You can watch NCIS, which currently airs new episodes on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, on Paramount +. Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by ViacomCBS Streaming, a division of ViacomCBS.

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