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L-R: Tuuli Narkle as AFP Liaison Officer Constable Evie Cooper, Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim  'JD' Dempsey, Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey and Sean Sagar as Special Agent DeShawn Jackson at Bondi Beach, on the set of NCIS: Sydney. © Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+

NCIS: Sydney releases first look at spin-off – and fans are saying the same thing

The new series will see NCIS Sydney working with the Australian Federal Police

Megan Bull
TV Writer
November 9, 2023
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NCIS is going Down Under. Gifting fans with a new spin-off in Sydney, the series is set to premiere on November 14, and ahead of its release, the show has given fans a first look. Posting a scene from an upcoming episode, fans were introduced to NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey, and her second in command, Australian Sergeant Jim "JD" Dempsey. 

WATCH: NCIS: Sydney – first look

"Your new favorite dynamic duo — minus the dynamic part," teased the caption. "Here's a sneak peek at NCIS: Sydney, premiering Tuesday, November 14th on CBS and Paramount+."

Sparking a major reaction, fans raced to the comments to voice their excitement. "Looking forward to this," wrote one. "Can't wait for this show!" added another. Meanwhile, a third commented: "Waiting in Australia." 

L-R: William McInnes as Forensic Pathologist Dr. Roy Penrose, Sean Sagar as Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, Tuuli Narkle as AFP Liaison Officer Constable Evie Cooper, Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim  'JD' Dempsey, Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey and Mavournee Hazel as Forensic Pathologist “Bluebird 'Blue' Gleeson in NCIS: Sydney season 1, episode 1.© Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+
The new series will premiere on November 14

Boasting a stellar cast, Olivia Swann and Todd Lasance lead the team as NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey and Sergeant Jim 'JD' Dempsey, respectively. Joining them is Sean Sagar as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, Tuuli Narkle as AFP Liaison Officer Constable Evie Cooper, William McInnes as AFP Forensic Pathologist Dr Roy Penrose, and Mavournee as AFP Forensic Scientist Bluebird 'Blue' Gleeson.

Giving fans an idea of what to expect, showrunner Morgan O'Neill told TV Insider: "The office is run by Captain Michelle Mackey, who's a former Marine Corps chopper pilot. She's a hothead; she's a maverick. She's very hard to work with. She's been moved around NCIS a little bit while they try to find where she can do the least damage. 

"But she's incredibly good at what she does. She's very instinctive in terms of the way she runs her investigations, but it means that she's a really tough task master and she's a real hard nut to crack. And so it makes it especially interesting to see how the second in command, who's an Australian Federal Police force sergeant, Jim Dempsey, gets to manage her because effectively he's managing her for the rest of the team." 

MORE: NCIS boss reveals true feelings on Pauley Perrette's run on show – and its influence on long-awaited spin-off

READ: Michael Weatherly's unexplained post has NCIS fans speculating over a return storyline

BTS of Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey and Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim  'JD' Dempsey, on the set of NCIS: Sydney season 1.© Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+
NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey and AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim Dempsey will get off to a rocky start

Explaining that the relationship between the NCIS team and Australian Federal Police will initially be strained, Morgan added: "They clash a little bit at first, I won't lie to you; as you'll see in the first episode, they really do butt heads. 

"As you can imagine, there's a sense of pride at who has control of the situation, who runs the investigation, whose jurisdiction it is. The nature of NCIS is that there are a lot of crimes that kind of fall in that gray area between jurisdictions, and that's where a lot of the fun is to be had in the episodes." 

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