NCIS: Sydney was left out of CBS's fall 2026 schedule on Tuesday, even as the network unveiled a new NCIS spinoff and locked in its Friday night lineup for next fall. The drama is set to return in midseason, where it will share the Tuesday 10 p.m. slot with NCIS: Origins.
The move matters because CBS is trimming both series to 10 episodes next season. NCIS: Origins will also be reduced to 10 episodes after producing 18 this season, while NCIS: Sydney is coming down from 20 episodes this season. Together, their 20 episodes add up to a full-season order by CBS drama-procedural standards.
Earlier this month, CBS entertainment chief Amy Reisenbach said the network was keeping its Friday block in place because it has been No. 1 for 16 straight seasons. That lineup stays put in fall 2026, with Sheriff Country at 8 p.m., Fire Country at 9 p.m. and Boston Blue at 10 p.m. Fire Country also received a 13-episode Season 5 order, down from 20 episodes this season, while the show is in the middle of a behind-the-scenes transition that brings Eric Guggenheim in as showrunner after Tia Napolitano.
The scheduling picture suggests CBS is making room for more scripted fare without fully rewarding every drama with a larger run. The network is adding three new drama series and one comedy series for 2026-27, while not bringing back Watson, The Neighborhood or DMV. Fire Country, NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney all cleared CBS's renewal ratings threshold, but their multi-platform viewing was described as more modest than the shows that got full-season orders. Fire Country remains the clearest franchise engine in the group, but NCIS: Sydney now has to wait until midseason to prove it can hold its place.
