NCIS is now synonymous with CBS success, but the procedural drama didn’t become a ratings powerhouse on its own—or all at once. Behind its rise was a strategic boost from a cable network that helped the series find its audience and solidify its place at the top of broadcast television.
When NCIS premiered in 2003 as a spinoff of JAG, it was still a work in progress. Former CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller admitted in The Hollywood Reporter’s oral history that the show hadn’t fully defined itself during its first season. While the network trusted creators Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill, NCIS needed time to evolve into the character-driven procedural viewers would eventually embrace.
That evolution coincided with a major distribution move. Around the end of Season 3, USA Network began airing NCIS reruns extensively, dramatically increasing the show’s visibility. The constant exposure allowed new viewers to catch up on storylines, connect with the ensemble, and grow comfortable with Mark Harmon’s now-iconic portrayal of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
Executive producer Mark Horowitz credited the cable runs with changing the show’s trajectory. As reruns played nearly nonstop, ratings on CBS climbed, eventually pushing NCIS into the No. 1 spot.
Rather than competing with the original broadcasts, the cable airings acted as a gateway—drawing in fans who then followed the series in real time. That momentum helped establish a loyal audience, one that continues to support NCIS and its spinoffs years later through streaming platforms like Paramount+.
For Bellisario, the success was deeply satisfying. He believed in the show from the beginning, but watching it grow into a cultural mainstay proved that once audiences found NCIS, they weren’t letting go.