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Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim Dempsey and Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey in NCIS: Sydney © Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+/CBS Studios

NCIS: Sydney future revealed after season 1's cliffhanger ending – details

Todd Lasance and Olivia Swann star in the spin-off series

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
March 20, 2024
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NCIS: Sydney fans have been eagerly waiting for news about the show's future beyond season one, and now it's been revealed that the drama will be back for a second season. 

The series, which is a spin-off of the long-running CBS drama NCIS, will be returning to CBS in the US and Paramount+ Australia. 

WATCH: Have you caught up on season 1?

For those unfamiliar with the series, it takes the popular police procedural Down Under, where a dedicated team of NCIS agents and Australian Federal Police join forces to keep naval crimes at bay in Sydney. The team is led by Special Agent Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann) and her Australian Federal Police counterpart, Sergeant Jim 'JD' Dempsey (Todd Lasance). 

The renewal news comes after season one reached over 10.2 million viewers on linear in the US and became the number one new series of the fall in the 2023-2024 season. 

Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey and Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim Dempsey in NCIS: Sydney© Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+
Olivia Swann stars as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey and Todd Lasance plays AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim Dempsey

Taking to Instagram to celebrate the news, lead actor Todd penned: "WE ARE COMING BACK FOR SEASON 2 BABY!!! NCIS: Sydney has been renewed for Season 2 on @cbstv and @paramountplusau. Still feels like a dream… Thank you to every single one of you who tuned in and supported us!! Cannot wait to step back on set with our squad! #ncissydney."

View post on Instagram
 

Olivia also shared her excitement on social media. "We're getting the fam back together!" she wrote, alongside a photo of the cast. "So happy. So excited. So grateful."

Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement: "The global power of the NCIS franchise became even stronger on broadcast and streaming with the addition of NCIS: Sydney. 

Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey and Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim Dempsey in NCIS: Sydney © Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+
The show will be back with a second season

"Our American viewers have fully embraced these engaging characters, unique stories and the fabulous Australian scenery. We are thrilled to bring this show back to CBS next season and spend even more time down under."

Morgan O’Neill, executive producer and showrunner for Endemol Shine Australia, added: "We're beyond stoked with the response to the first season of the show, both in Australia and around the world, and that the team at NCIS: Sydney is returning for a second season.

"We’re especially thrilled to invite our audience deeper into the lives of our core team, peeling back the layers to find out what really makes them tick. This will be even more important as we see the bonds of the new family tested to breaking point in the face of a much more potent enemy looming on the horizon."

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 series will return to CBS and Paramount+ Australia

So, what can we expect from season two?

CBS and Paramount + have yet to share any details about the new season given it's only just been renewed, so we'll have to wait a little longer to find out what's in store for JD and Agent Mackey. 

However, the show did end on a huge cliffhanger with the shocking revelation that Department of Defense's Rankin was somehow connected to the kidnapper clown who took JD's son from his ninth birthday party. 

About the surprise ending, Todd previously said: "It is endless as to where they could take it. 

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+
Todd wants to explore his character's 'family dynamic' in season 2

"What I love is that [Rankin] is such an intrinsic part of the organization and controls a lot of our activities, so to have that person be part of, potentially, our biggest threat and the biggest enemy introduced in the whole series — and she has escaped, as well! — it's like, where they can go with this is phenomenal," he told TV Line

We also know that Todd is keen to explore "the family dynamic side of things" with his character. "This is a dream series for me because I get to play with the comedy, with that cheeky 'ribbing each other' element, and also be the straight cop/leader, and then I get to go with the emotional element of the relationship with the son and my ex-wife and the breakdown of that relationship," he told the publication.

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