Beyond NCIS: Los Angeles season 9, what’s series’ overall lifespan?

Is NCIS: Los Angeles season 9 going to be the last one for the CBS series? Given where we are in the journey right now, it’s understandable to wonder. The list of shows that manage to get close to double-digits is a pretty small group. while it probably does happen more with CBS crime procedurals than the vast majority of other series that are out there, this is still very rare air and the LL Cool J – Chris O’Donnell show is getting close to that.

This rare air is one of the reasons why NCIS: Los Angeles is the focus of our latest TV Lifespan story online today.

Let’s not sound any alarms with this article, since the goal isn’t to make anyone think that the show’s on the precipice of cancellation: It feels almost certain that there will be a season 10 of the crime procedural, even if the network is not doing it any favors bumping it back an hour on Sunday nights. While we previously had a chance to see the spin-off on 8:00 p.m. Eastern (at least most of the time when football was not around), CBS is now shifting things back an hour to 9:00. That could mean a small drop in the ratings thanks to more competition from the likes of The Walking Dead, and there is also the harsh reality that the show is facing in the form of losing some of that NFL lead-in that it previously had with only 60 Minutes in the way. We’re also not that optimistic at the moment about Wisdom of the Crowd, the new Jeremy Piven series in its old timeslot that feels like an odd combination of Pure Genius and APB — you likely know how those two shows panned out.

So long as NCIS: Los Angeles maintains more than 80% of its season 8 ratings year-to-year, we figure that it is going to be fine. From there, we can look more towards its long-term future. Maybe we are tempering expectations so that we don’t get bummed out when we see the numbers come in, but we view this for now as rather realistic.

Is there anything to worry about?

If there is, it’s probably tied in some way to money. One of the things that we worry about down the road is that the longer shows last, the more salaries tend to go up. this is an ensemble show with a wide array of different people in it, and as a result of that, there are inevitably going to be many who all want a various piece of the pie. CBS better be prepared for the next time negotiation happens, especially since the botched Hawaii Five-0 negotiations continue to leave a rather nasty taste in our mouth.

With viewership very strong for this past season, the only thing that we honestly feel could slow down NCIS: Los Angeles is some sort of cast departure — we’ve already lost the late Miguel Ferrer, and seeing anyone else go would be painful.

What do you want to see on NCIS: Los Angeles season 9, and how much more gas do you think is in the series’ overall tank? Share in the comments! (Photo: CBS.)