NCIS and NCIS: Origins are set for a shock crossover event. Debuting in 2003 as a backdoor pilot spinoff from the show JAG, NCIS has become a pop culture phenomenon, and has so far run for 22 seasons and more than 1,000 episodes, spawning five spinoff shows, including prequel series NCIS: Origins, which premiered in 2024.
The franchise has become hugely successful, with NCIS season 23 being confirmed in February 2025, and is set to premiere on October 14. Origins, focused on the early life of Leroy Gibbs, debuted last year, and its second season is also set to premiere on October 14, which has led to an exciting and unexpected announcement.
The NCIS YouTube channel has dropped a crossover announcement video featuring Wilmer Valderrama, who plays Nick Torres in the flagship procedural, alongside Austin Stowell, who plays the young Gibbs in NCIS: Origins. Both men face the camera and address the viewer, revealing an epic crossover between the two shows.
The crossover will be focused on solving a decades-long case, NCIS: Origins in the ’90s, and NCIS in the present day. The special event is coming to CBS on Tuesday, November 11.
What This Crossover Means For The NCIS Franchise
This is one of the most exciting updates the NCIS franchise has had, and it is not the first time the shows have had a crossover event, with a major one occurring back in 2023. However, this is the first NCIS crossover episode event that will take place across different time periods, and this makes for an exciting and immersive event.
The fact that the show is set to jump between time periods, and focus on a huge case, promises to be unlike anything NCIS viewers have seen before. It’s an event that, if successful, could lead to multiple other crossovers in the future, and strengthens the link between the original flagship show, and Origins as a prequel.
Our Take On The NCIS Crossover Event
The NCIS crossover could become a huge success, and the fact that the two shows are airing on the same dates means that their seasons have likely been planned to align in other ways too. What’s more, the recent premiere of another spinoff show, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, should help to increase interest in the crossover, and generate more viewers.
NCIS: Origins is a spinoff that is still finding its feet, and it will need to excel as its own show, but that doesn’t mean it can’t lean on the original show along the way. The crossover is a great way for both NCIS and NCIS: Origins to flex their creative muscles, and enhance the franchise’s long-term prospects.
NCIS and NCIS: Origins return on October 14.
