TV Shows Like NCIS
If you like NCIS, here are 12 similar TV shows — each with its current AI renewal verdict, so you can see which are still going and which have been cancelled.
CBS · Crime · NCIS is likely renewed
NCIS has been a fixture of American television for good reason. The show takes a familiar procedural structure, a team working cases week to week, and fills it with enough personality, banter, and genuine stakes to keep it from feeling routine. The Navy and Marine Corps setting gives the crimes a specific flavor you don't get from a generic police procedural: espionage, terrorism, stolen military hardware, and the particular culture of the armed forces all feed into cases that feel distinct. The ensemble has always been the engine, with characters who have real histories with each other and enough friction to generate drama without tipping into soap opera.
The best shows like NCIS
1. Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders gives you the same reliable rhythm of a central investigator working through suspects toward a solution, but wraps it in a very English setting where the body count is somehow always high despite the pastoral calm. DCI Barnaby and his sergeant have the kind of easy, experienced partnership that NCIS fans will recognize immediately. It takes its crimes seriously while being aware of its own formula, which gives it a warmth that keeps episodes from feeling repetitive.
Stream on fuboTV, Acorn TV, AcornTV Amazon Channel, BritBox Amazon Channel
Likely Renewed97%
2. CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami runs on forensic detail and a strong sense of place, two things NCIS does well in its own way. The Miami-Dade team approaches cases with the same mix of science and gut instinct that drives the NCIS team, and the cases tend toward the dramatic end of the spectrum. If you like the procedural structure of NCIS but want more sun and a higher visual energy, this delivers.
Stream on Hulu, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
Ended0%
3. NCIS: Los Angeles
NCIS: Los Angeles is the most obvious next step for any NCIS fan, built on the same Naval Criminal Investigative Service framework but with a heavier focus on undercover work and fieldwork over forensics. The OSP team has the same kind of tight-knit, wisecracking dynamic that makes NCIS's ensemble so watchable. It's essentially the same show with a different climate and a few more disguises.
Stream on YouTube TV, USA Network
Ended0%
4. JAG
JAG is where NCIS came from, and watching it makes the DNA obvious. It centers on military law rather than criminal investigation, so the cases play out in courtrooms and briefing rooms as much as crime scenes, but the tone and the respect for military culture are the same. Fans who like that NCIS takes the armed forces seriously as a setting, rather than using it as a backdrop, will find a lot to appreciate here.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
Ended0%
5. Vera
Vera is built around a detective who is difficult, sharp, and entirely dedicated to her work, which should feel familiar to any NCIS fan who has spent time with a character like Gibbs. The northeast England setting is atmospheric and specific, and the cases involve the full range of serious crime that NCIS covers. It's a quieter show in terms of action, but the detective work is careful and the central character is hard to look away from.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video, Britbox Apple TV Channel , BritBox, BritBox Amazon Channel
Ended0%
More on shows like NCIS
Fans of NCIS tend to want a few specific things from their next show. They want a strong central team, not just a lone detective grinding through cases in silence. They want cases that are actually interesting, with some combination of procedural detail and human stakes. And they often want a show that takes its world seriously, whether that's military law, forensic science, or the rhythms of a particular place. Comedy and warmth matter too. NCIS has always had a lighter touch than its subject matter might suggest, and the best recommendations here honor that balance.
The shows below cover a good range of those qualities. JAG is the most direct ancestor, a military legal drama that actually spawned NCIS itself. NCIS: Los Angeles is the clearest stylistic cousin, trading Washington for the West Coast and adding a heavier undercover element. CSI: Miami brings the forensic procedural energy with more flash and a very specific sense of place. Midsomer Murders and Vera offer something a bit different, British detective shows that swap the military world for English countryside and northeast England respectively, but both deliver the reliable structure and strong central detective that NCIS fans tend to gravitate toward.
None of these are perfect substitutes, and that's fine. JAG is slower and more courtroom-focused than NCIS; Midsomer Murders leans into its own absurdity in a way NCIS rarely does. But each one scratches a specific part of the itch, and taken together they cover most of what makes NCIS worth watching in the first place.
More shows like NCIS
Frequently asked
- What is the most popular show like NCIS?
- Midsomer Murders is the most popular show similar to NCIS in the IsItRenewed catalogue.
- Are shows like NCIS still on the air?
- Of the 12 shows similar to NCIS listed here, 1 currently carry a renewed verdict — the rest are cancelled, ended, or awaiting a decision.
- How does IsItRenewed pick shows like NCIS?
- The recommendations come from TMDB's similar-titles data, and each is shown with its current AI renewal verdict so you know which are still going.