What To Know
- NCIS: Origins’ third season has 10 episodes, down from 18 in each of its first two seasons.
- Its season premiere drew 4.39 million viewers, up 20% from the Season 2 premiere.
Now that we’re halfway through NCIS: Origins Season 3 — it consists of 10 episodes, rather than the 18 of the first two seasons — we’re already wondering what the future could hold, especially since it’s currently delivering its best season and some of the best television on right now, across broadcast, cable, and streaming.
Origins got off to a strong start in its new time slot, 10/9c, with the franchise’s newest spinoff, NCIS: New York, airing after the mothership on Tuesdays. The all-NCIS Tuesday night lineup made for the night’s top three most-watched scripted broadcast programs and averaged 5.49 million viewers on premiere night, which was up 39% from 2025’s lineup, which included Sydney to cap off the night.
On premiere night on October 6, Origins was the number-one broadcast show in its time period, airing opposite a new episode of R.J. Decker and a rerun of The Traitors: New Blood. It averaged 4.39 million viewers, which is up 20% compared to its Season 2 premiere in the hour-earlier time slot and up 56% from Sydney‘s premiere in the time period a year earlier.
Robert Voets/CBS
Looking at the premiere in seven-day multiplatform viewership, it was up 19% from its Season 2 premiere, and it improved on the time period from Sydney by 51% year over year.
For the following three episodes, NCIS: Origins continued to win its time period in total viewers versus other broadcast shows, though numbers have fluctuated a bit (4.12 million, 4.32 million, and 3.75 million). Its rating in the key demo among adults aged 18 to 49 has also dipped since the 0.34 for the premiere (0.28, 0.30, and 0.25). However, what’s worth noting is that there’s a similar drop between NCIS and NCIS: New York and New York and Origins‘ viewership over the night, of one million (or fewer) viewers.
Chances are we won’t hear about NCIS: Origins‘ future until months after the third season has finished airing, closer to May, by which networks have to make decisions about their lineups for the following broadcast season. It’s also possible that CBS will wait to see how NCIS: Sydney does, especially if it ends up sliding right into Origins‘ time slot. We wouldn’t be surprised if these numbers are enough to keep it around for a fourth season.
What do you think? Do you think Origins will (and should) get a fourth season? Let us know in the comments section below.
NCIS: Origins, Tuesdays, 10/9c, CBS