New NCIS Series Officially Moves Forward With Timely Promo After Divisive Announcement

New York’s NCIS team rides the Knicks wave.

More than two decacdes later, the procedural franchise created by Donald Bellisario and Don McGill continues to be an important player on network TV. While the flagship remains its most popular installment in the expansive universe, what makes NCIS‘s popularity more impressive is the way it has been able to branch out with new shows. Currently, it has two spinoffs, NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney, but before the 2025-2026 TV cycle ended, CBS announced a new one that will be set just north of Washington DC.

NCIS: New York marks LL Cool J’s official return to the NCIS franchise years after NCIS: Los Angeles wrapped up its run. The show will see Sam Hanna come back to his hometown, where he will re-enter the agency with a fresh partner, who will be played by Scott Caan. So far, the actors are the only cast members confirmed for the project. As the wait continues to learn more about the next offshoot, CBS has started making moves to spread the news about its imminent arrival.

In a new marketing push from the network, NCIS: New York takes advantage of the New York Knicks’ generational run at the NBA playoffs with a new promo. Not only does it express its support for Jalen Brunson’s squad, but it also effectively spreads the word about LL Cool J and Caan’s new spinoff in the universe, which will be set in the Big Apple. This genius promo rolls out after the divisive response to the initial announcement for the show. Check it out below:

Per CBS’s official fall 2026 schedule, NCIS: New York has secured a spot in the network’s first wave of shows for the next cycle. It will be taking over the 9pm ET timeslot during Tuesday night, replacing NCIS: Origins, which will move to the 10pm ET block. This means that NCIS: New York will be following the flagship, which is a great lead-in for a freshman series. Despite being spearheaded by franchise legend, it’s no secret, however, that the response to the project announcement was lukewarm, especially after Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo’s NCIS: Tony & Ziva got cancelled just after one season.

Establishing strong ties with New York is particularly important to the new spinoff, as aside from Sam, LL Cool J also hails from the city. No official word yet on where the main production for the series will be, but reports claim that it will be filmed on soundstages in California, as well as on-location in New York. For context, the flagship may be set in Washington DC, but it is also shot on the West Coast. That said, NCIS: New Orleans‘ base was in Louisiana, allowing the project to look and feel very distinct compared to its peers. NCIS: Sydney is, of course, shot in Sydney.

Regardless of where NCIS: New York will be filmed, taking advantage of such a magical moment in the Big Apple is a great marketing move from CBS. It allows them to spread the word that it’s coming and perhaps, even entice those who weren’t interested when the project was first announced. The public will have to wait until fall to see how it fits in the bigger NCIS universe.

Created by

Donald P. Bellisario, Don McGill

First TV Show

NCIS

Latest TV Show

NCIS: Sydney

Upcoming TV Shows

NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Tony & Ziva

The NCIS franchise is an American media franchise that focuses on military-related criminal investigations by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It began with NCIS in 2003, a spin-off from JAG, and has since expanded to include multiple spin-offs set across different locations.