Blue Bloods has been an anchor for fifteen years. It held down a primetime Friday night slot for CBS, but now that the show is coming to an end, the network is faced with having to find a proper fill in. It has, according to TV Insider.
Evidently, CBS has decided to replace the iconic procedural show with another iconic franchise. NCIS: Sydney, which will be embarking on its second season, will step into the time slot that’s been occupied by the Reagans. This was confirmed by reporter Matt Roush, who was asked by a fan if the network would attempt to align all the NCIS shows on a single night of television, like NBC does with One Chicago.
NCIS: Sydney will take over the Friday slot
The answer? Unlikely. Evidently, CBS likes to spread the wealth with one of their most bankable titles. Besides, there are more NCIS shows being added to the mix next year, so loading them all up on the same could risk nullifying its appeal.
Per Roush:
“CBS has always seemed inclined to spread the wealth to other nights, which is why the Sydney spinoff is currently scheduled to move into the Friday lineup once Blue Bloods finishes.”
This is a big step up for NCIS: Sydney. The international spinoff originally aired on Paramount Plus Australia, before the Hollywood strikes broadened its release (it had the good fortune of wrapping production before the strikes broke out).
Sydney previously aired on Paramount Plus
The show will now be holding down a prime piece of real estate within the CBS lineup, however. This is notable, not only as a vote of confidence for the spinoff, but a vote of confidence for the NCIS brand after NCIS: Hawai’i was unexpectedly canceled.
The cast of Hawai’i, which had grown to include former NCIS: Los Angeles star LL Cool J, were saddened by the decision, especially since there were still plans to continue the storyline of season 3.
As it stands, Sydney has been bumped up to second place in terms of NCIS relevance (behind the original, of course). It’ll be interesting to see if it can sustain this placement once additional spinoffs come out.