NCIS: Sydney — recaps, how to watch and everything we know about the NCIS spinoff

Olivia Swann and Todd Lasance in NCIS: Sydney
Olivia Swann and Todd Lasance in NCIS: Sydney (Image credit: Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+)

NCIS: Sydney came to the rescue of fans of the long-running crime drama in fall 2023, as the show served as the only entry in the NCIS franchise to deliver new episodes not impacted by the Hollywood strikes. But now that the inaugural season has come to an end, we've got everything you need to know and how to catch up with the show right here.

NCIS: Sydney, the latest spinoff of the long-running crime procedural franchise, is the first internationally-set edition of the series, joining the flagship NCIS, currently on-air NCIS: Hawai'i (both shows are set to return in February 2024 with NCIS season 21 and NCIS: Hawai'i season 3) and the previous NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Los Angeles iterations.

Here is everything that you need to know about NCIS: Sydney.

How to watch NCIS: Sydney

All episodes of NCIS: Sydney's inaugural season are now available to stream on-demand on Paramount Plus.

NCIS: Sydney plot

Here is the official synopsis for NCIS: Sydney:

"With rising international tensions in the Indo-Pacific, a brilliant and eclectic team of U.S. NCIS agents and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are grafted into a multinational taskforce to keep naval crimes in check in the most contested patch of ocean on the planet."

The first season of NCIS: Sydney is going to have eight episodes.

NCIS: Sydney recaps

Here are the official synopses for NCIS: Sydney episodes and links to our recaps:

NCIS: Sydney episode 1, "Gone Fission"
"The death of an American seaman on a U.S. nuclear submarine during an AUKUS ceremony on Sydney Harbour is investigated in a joint effort between America's NCIS agents afloat and the Australian Federal Police (AFP)." Read WTW's NCIS: Sydney episode 1 recap.

NCIS: Sydney episode 2, "Snakes in the Grass"
"The team investigate the death of a navy compliance officer who has been found in a waterhole with a snakebite from the most venomous snake in the world. The snake, an inland taipan, is uncommon to the area the officer was discovered." Read WTW's NCIS: Sydney episode 2 recap.

NCIS: Sydney episode 3, "Brothers in Arms"
"When a shark spits out an arm wearing US Navy equipment, the team's investigation tests the loyalty of a band of former Navy divers." Read WTW's NCIS: Sydney episode 3 recap.

NCIS: Sydney episode 4, "Ghosted"
"When a US petty officer's body is found in the Sydeny's historic and haunted Rocks area a decades old Navy cross medal holds the clue to solving the murder, leading the team on a world ghost chase to catch a killer." Read WTW's NCIS: Sydney episode 4 recap.

NCIS: Sydney episode 5, "Doggiecino Day Afternoon"
"The team races to save one of their own when Doc Roy and his dog are involved in a hostage situation at their local dog cafe." Read WTW's NCIS: Sydney episode 5 recap.

NCIS: Sydney episode 6, "Extraction"
"When a man in a concealed US Navy jacket drops dead from a cocaine overdose on a crowded bus in Bondi, the investigation pulls Evie back into her past as an undercover narcotics cop." Read WTW's NCIS: Sydney episode 6 recap.

NCIS: Sydney episode 7, "Bunker Down"
"When a U.S. Navy researcher is found dead at a glitzy tech launch in a secret underground bunker, part of the team heads over to investigate, only to find themselves trapped inside with limited oxygen when the bunker fails to open." Read WTW's NCIS: Sydney episode 7 recap.

NCIS: Sydney episode 8, "Blonde Ambition"
"When JD's son is kidnapped by an international assassin in exchange for a wanted criminal in NCIS custody, the team frantically tries to get his son back safely without trading in a criminal." Read WTW's NCIS: Sydney episode 8 recap.

NCIS: Sydney cast

Meet the actors that are making up the NCIS: Sydney team of agents set to solve cases week in and week out: 

  • Olivia Swann (DC's Legends of Tomorrow) as NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey
  • Todd Lasance (Without Remorse) as 2IC AFP Sergeant Jim "JD" Dempsey
  • Sean Sagar (The Convenant) as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson
  • Tuuli Narkler (Bad Behaviour) as AFP liaison officer Constable Evie Cooper
  • Mavournee Hazel (Shantaram) as AFP forensic scientist Bluebird "Blue" Gleeson
  • William McInnes (The Newsreader) as AFC forensic pathologist Dr. Roy Penrose

Learn a little more about the stars of the show with this NCIS: Sydney cast feature.

NCIS: Sydney trailer

Here is our first look at NCIS: Sydney, introducing some of the cast and showcasing the Australia landscape that will serve as the backdrop of the new series:

Is there going to be an NCIS: Sydney season 2?

At this time there is no word on NCIS: Sydney season 2, as CBS and Paramount Plus have not announced if the crime drama has been renewed or cancelled. It'll also be interesting to see if the show is picked up for another season if it will continue to air on CBS or revert back to a Paramount Plus original series, as it was originally slated to be.

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.