Even after 20 seasons, NCIS is still one of the most popular television shows.
Variety revealed the 100 most-watched telecasts from 2023, and NCIS hugely impacted the list.
It’s easy for most television viewers to guess that the most watched primetime telecast was the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LVII — Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles — was watched by an estimated 115 million viewers on February 12.
Many additional NFL games, including the championship games from each conference, made the list.
Other notable broadcasts that made the list included the 2023 Oscars, the Season 2 premiere of Next Level Chef that aired after the Super Bowl, the 2023 Grammy Awards, and a 60 Minutes special on Prince Harry.
NCIS dominates the most-watched list for 2023
Beyond the football games and entertainment events, some hit dramas stood out from the rest of the most-watched shows.
Eleven episodes of NCIS made the top 100 list. That includes the episode (Too Many Cooks) which kicked off the three-show NCIS crossover in January 2023.
NCIS: Los Angeles (A Long Time Coming) and NCIS: Hawai’i (Deep Fake) also made the list for their contributions to the crossover.
No show came close to matching what NCIS did during 2023, but several other dramas did get an episode or two on the list. Chicago Fire from NBC had four episodes, Yellowstone from Paramount+ had an episode, and Blue Bloods (CBS) appeared five times.
More news from NCIS
A start date for NCIS Season 21 has been announced, with new episodes ahead for this winter and spring. NCIS: Hawai’i debuts on the same night.
Details about how NCIS: Syndey ends Season 1 have been teased by one of its stars. Many fans hope news about a second season will be released soon.
LL Cool J has joined the NCIS: Hawai’i cast, so CBS viewers will see much more of him on the spin-off. He previously appeared as Agent Sam Hanna on NCIS: Los Angeles but will now play the character on a new show.
NCIS star David McCallum died while the show was on hiatus. He played Dr. Donald Mallard on the NCIS cast.
Some NCIS spoilers revealed how Ducky’s exit will impact the show. It will be a sad night for viewers when the writers address McCallum’s death.
Previous episodes of NCIS — including the 11 episodes that made the most-watched list — are available for streaming on Paramount+.
NCIS returns on February 12 on CBS.