NCIS has achieved an incredible milestone after 23 Seasons, solidifying it’s reputation as a powerful television franchise. This year has been a blend of highs and lows for the enduring police procedural. While the prequel NCIS – Origins continues to thrive, NCIS – Tony & Ziva has unfortunately been cancelled after only one season.
The main NCIS Series has etched it’s name in television history this year by reaching the remarkable milestone of it’s 500th episode. This achievement is rare, having only been accomplished four times previously by iconic shows like G**smoke, along with contemporary cultural phenomena such as The Simpsons and Law & Order – Special Victims Unit.
The impressive number of episodes significantly contributes to this latest landmark that the series has successfully reached. A recent report from Bloomberg reveals that NCIS has emerged as the most popular show over the past five years.
This conclusion is based on the total minutes watched, as detailed in Nielsen’s Weekly Streaming Top 10 charts, where the CBS drama amassed an impressive 151 billion minutes of viewing time. It surpasses Grey’s Anatomy, another enduring drama, as illustrated in the table below.
| Rank | TV Series | Minutes Watched |
| 1 | NCIS | 151.4 Billion |
| 2 | Grey’s Anatomy | 148.8 Billion |
| 3 | Bluey | 137.7 Billion |
| 4 | CoComelon | 93.9 Billion |
| 5 | Criminal Minds | 89.6 Billion |
| 6 | Suits | 58.0 Billion |
| 7 | The Office | 57.1 Billion |
| 8 | Ozark | 46.3 Billion |
| 9 | Stranger Things | 45.6 Billion |
| 10 | Love Is Blind | 42.5 Billion |
The data is sourced from Nielsen, with a cut-off date of November 9, 2025. It’s important to highlight a few caveats, the most significant being that Nielsen exclusively monitors streaming viewers in the U.S.
Their tracking method for minutes viewed tends to favor TV series that have numerous episodes, such as Grey’s Anatomy, Suits, and Criminal Minds, as well as frequently viewed children’s shows like Bluey. Despite these differences, NCIS’s dominance is truly remarkable.
The CBS series has successfully retained it’s viewership, even amidst significant cast changes and the departure of lead actor Mark Harmon. Additionally, it’s availability on multiple platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Paramount+ likely contributes to it’s continued success.
It is uncommon for a drama to maintain interest after over twenty years. Although there has been some conjecture that CBS might be contemplating the conclusion for NCIS, this recent information demonstrates why the procedural remains as significant as ever.