‘NCIS’ Franchise Continues to Be MIA in Emmys Nominations

NCIS and its spinoffs were all missing from the 2022 Primetime Emmy nominations on Tuesday morning. The mothership series will just have to live with knowing it is the most-watched scripted drama on primetime television. The NCIS shows even missed below-the-line technical nominations.

During its 19 seasons on the air, NCIS has only attracted three Emmy nominations and zero wins. Its first nomination came in 2005 when the late, great Charles Durning earned a nod for his guest role in the 2004 episode “Call of Silence.” NCIS was also nominated for Outstanding Stunt Coordination in 2008 and Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series, Miniseries, Or Movie in 2013. The series hasn’t been nominated for an Emmy since.

NCIS: Los Angeles has been on CBS for 13 seasons and only has one nomination to show for it. In 2012, it was nominated for Outstanding Stunt Coordination. NCIS: New Orleans never earned a single nomination during its seven seasons. The first season of NCIS: Hawai’i was eligible for the 2022 Emmys, but also failed to attract votes from Television Academy members.

It didn’t always use to be this way for the franchise. JAG, the 1995-2005 series that birthed NCIS, earned 11 nominations and three wins during its 10 seasons. In 1996, Jon Koslowsky won Outstanding Single-Camera Editing for a Series, years before he would work on NCIS. Paul Dafelmair won Outstanding Costume Design for a Series in 1997 and 1999. JAG never earned a nomination for acting, writing, or directing.

While NCIS fans love the show, the fact is it is airing during a time of incredible creativity on cable networks and streaming platforms. Not a single broadcast drama earned a slot in the Outstanding Drama Series, where four cable shows (Better Call Saul, Euphoria, Succession and Yellowjackets) will compete against four streaming series (Ozark, Squid Game, Stranger Things, and Severance). ABC’s Abbott Elementary is the only broadcast comedy in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson was the only broadcast network star nominated in any of the six lead acting categories.

Shows from HBO, Netflix, and streamers have just made it impossible for NCIS and other traditional procedurals to compete. None of the four major broadcast networks have even won Outstanding Drama Series since Fox’s 24 did it in 2006. No CBS show has won the Outstanding Drama Series award since Picket Fences repeated in 1993 and 1994.

Although NCIS is not attracting awards, it has no trouble drawing in viewers. Even after star Mark Harmon left four episodes into Season 19, the show still finished the 2021-2022 season as the most-watched drama on television. NCIS Season 20 will debut on Monday, Sept. 19 at 9 p.m. ET, leading into the Season 2 premiere of NCIS: Hawai’i. NCIS is the third-longest-running primetime drama in U.S. TV history, behind Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the original Law & Order.