NCIS: How the final season 17 ratings set stage for season 18

We’re getting closer to the end of April now, and even still there is no official word on an NCIS season 18 renewal. Are we hopeful? Sure, but there’s a key difference between having hope and then actually seeing the order handed down for more new episodes.

Yet, there are a lot of reasons for optimism. The creative team is planning for the future (read our interview here), it seems like the cast is planning on coming back, and then you also look at the ratings. To put it mildly, they were fantastic as we neared the end of the season.

Want to get some more news when it comes to NCIS in video form? Then view some of our early expectations for season 18 below! Once you check that out, remember to then subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube and then view our playlist. We’ll have more insight before long…

Let’s address the obvious elephant in the room — obviously, viewers being at home due to real-life matters inflated some of the numbers at the end of season 17. Yet, these are people who still elected to watch NCIS over anything else on the schedule — or anything on Netflix or another streaming service. We do still think that this matters. The final three episodes all generated more than 13.4 million viewers, giving the show the biggest total audience since Pauley Perrette’s exit two years ago. It was also the biggest audience for a typical non-event episode since January 2018, and the biggest audience for a finale since 2016. That’s pretty incredible retention for a show on the air this long.

Will the numbers decline for season 18? Probably, since that is almost an annual trend in terms of season averages. Yet, there are ways for NCIS to keep the audience engaged. You have event slike the 400th episode coming early on, but there’s also the possibility of more former cast members coming back and also notable guest stars like Christopher Lloyd. This is not a show that needs to fade into background anytime soon.

We’re sure that CBS is aware of the ratings boosts for NCIS near the end of the season … and we just gotta wait for the season 18 greenlight now.

When do you think that we’ll get some official news on an NCIS season 18?

Be sure to let us know right now in the comments below! Also, remember here to stick around for some other news. (Photo: CBS.)

This article was written by Jessica Carter. be sure to follow her on Twitter.