NCIS and the case for a Tobias Fornell – PI spin-off in the future

At the moment, television seems to be in love with private investigators just as much as it is cops. After all, CBS has opted to pick up Magnum PI to series and, beyond just that, ABC currently has Take Two on the air.

With all of this in mind, and with NCIS now featuring a pretty prominent private-eye character in Joe Spano, is there a case to be made for a spin-off all about this character? We certainly like to think so.

For example, how many other opportunities are you going to get to launch a spin-off featuring a recurring character that is so well-known, and yet also relatively green in their profession? You’re taking a character here in Fornell who spent a lot of time in the FBI and now has a chance to adjust to being out on his own. He can do more of his own thing and beyond that, has the ability to make his own rules. Given that he, like Gibbs, has led such a structured life, there could be some fun and some creativity that goes along with that.

Beyond just all of this, we do think that a Fornell spin-off would prove to be rather interesting just because of the fact that it would enable us to have a rather-great opportunity in order to continue to loop in the NCIS cast in some interesting ways. Because Fornell has such a close relationship with Gibbs, they would continue to have a close friendship. Ironically, there’s more of a chance for their to be crossovers here than there are with NCIS and the other shows in the franchise, which are set far away and it’s therefore hard to throw everyone into the same space.

As for whether or not we this happening, it’s probably unlikely, even though Fornell is a fan favorite with a lot of people out there. Given that there are so many shows within the NCIS universe already, CBS may not want to add another one. Beyond just that, a Fornell show may not have the same hook to people other than diehard viewers — but we think the quality of the mysteries could get people on board.

Related – Be sure to check out our new NCIS spotlight all about Torres!

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