NCIS: Sydney Reviews (original) (raw)

Summary NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann) leads her team that includes: Australian Federal Police's Jim "JD" Dempsey (Todd Lasance), DeShawn Jackson (Sean Sagar), Australian Federal Police Constable Liaison Officer Evie Cooper (Tuuli Narkle) as well as Bluebird "Blue" Gleeson (Mavournee Hazel) and Roy Penrose (William McInnesa) i...

Season 1 Premiere: 2023

Metascore Available after 4 critic reviews

My Score

Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Not available in your country?

Swann makes for a solid (and tall) team leader, though it takes at least one episode too many to shine any light on the past trauma that defines Mackey/has her “shields” up, while Lasance has great fun with Dempsey’s comparatively laid-back persona. Narkle, I want to say, is the big standout as Evie — winningly sassy and arguably the “most Australian” of the bunch — while Sagar was a runner-up until his character started acting a little too free-spirited in later episodes.

Fans who like “NCIS” will surely approve of this brand extension. Viewers who see it as a simplistic procedural will ignore it as they have past versions over the franchise’s 20-year run. Anyone looking to get drunk need only chug every time “NCIS: Sydney” features views of the Sydney Opera House. You’ll be out cold before the first episode ends.

We are always tempted to say that any new NCIS will appeal to fans of the franchise, but we’re just not sure about NCIS: Sydney. There’s snippets of hope here and there, but the overall setup seems clumsy, and much of the dialogue is just as clumsy as the setup.

Far to many egos to deal with. I will not watch this one. I, actually, see no hope for improvement either. A very clumsy attempt to do "something." Am sure we can find something better to do with our time.

It’s a shame that any decent storyline is outdone by numerous shots of the Harbour, Bondi and other locations. Don’t expect any meaningful plot from this show with the actors delivering corny slang one liners and delivering what appears a forced dialogue. The gaps in policing and investigations procedures are mind boggling to those with any idea of how things operate in the real world. The Pathologist appears to be so desperate for money that he moonlights as a Forensic officer at a murder scene at 3am. Apparently the AFP and NCIS handle the murder enquiry with no phone call to NSW Police to let them know this has occurred in Sydney. The show stoops to a low when they expect the viewer to believe a submarine at Garden Island has been taken over by rogue forces. On top of this we have the propaganda angle regards AUKUS and also a token Transgender cameo out of sequence that probably was included to receive a Government cash incentive. This show is all gloss and no substance however if you want to waste 45 minutes an episode then knock yourself out.

Production Company:

CBS Studios
Endemol Shine Australia
Network Ten
Paramount Australia Productions

Initial Release Date: 2023

Number of seasons: 2 Seasons

Rating: TV-14