Today, NCIS stands as one of CBS’s most reliable and long-running hits—but its dominance didn’t happen overnight. In fact, the franchise’s massive ratings success can be traced back to an unexpected ally: a cable network that gave the show a second life.
When NCIS debuted in 2003, the series was still evolving. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s oral history, even CBS executives acknowledged the show hadn’t fully found its voice in its first season. Former CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller noted that while the network believed in the creative team behind JAG, NCIS needed time to become the show audiences now recognize.
That shift came around Season 3, when USA Network began airing NCIS reruns around the clock. The exposure proved transformational. Viewers who discovered the series on cable quickly became invested in the characters—especially Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs—and followed the show back to CBS for new episodes.
Executive producer Mark Horowitz credited USA Network’s nonstop reruns with pushing NCIS into the top ratings tier. “That’s when the network ratings went up,” he said, recalling the moment the series climbed to No. 1.