NCIS: Sydney is the first non-American-based TV drama in the Bellisarioverse, specifically in the NCIS series. It's a joint American-Australian production. The show is available in Australia via Paramount Plus Australia with Network 10 scheduled to air it in mid 2024. In North America, it's available under CBS, alongside Paramount+, and Global Television Network. Like NCIS: Hawaiʻi, the first episode is not directly tied to other NCIS shows.
The series takes place in Sydney (with the occasional travel to other parts of Australia) where the Australian government has a press conference on the docking of a US Navy nuclear submarine as part of agreements signed under AUKUS. With the sudden death of a US Navy sailor in Sydney Harbour, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) agents stationed in Australia are tasked to investigate the case. After the case was solved, NCIS (with the Australian Department of Defence) agreed to get the AFP/NCIS to create a joint task force to investigate criminal, espionage and terrorist threats that affect American and Australian national security interests that relate to the Indo-Pacific.
The joint team is led by Michelle Mackey, NCIS Special Agent-in-Charge (Olivia Swann). The team's second-in-command is Sergeant Jim "JD" Dempsey of the AFP. Others include NCIS SA DeShawn Jackson and AFP Liaison officer Constable Evie Cooper. Supporting them are AFP forensic scientist Bluebird "Blue" Gleeson and AFP forensic pathologist Roy "Rosie" Penrose.
The show was renewed for season two in March 2024.
This show contains examples of:
- Artistic License – Law Enforcement: The show has the NCIS agents stationed in Sydney. NCIS has the nearest office in Perth. Then again, this is a newly-established field office, and it's clear that the agents are only there as long as the Aussies allow them.
- Audience Surrogate: The American agents fill this capacity to non-Australian viewers as the quirks and idiosyncrasies of life in Australia often need to be explained to them by JD and Evie.
- Everything Trying to Kill You:
- Not to the memetic levels typical on the Internet, but Australian Wildlife with this kind of reputation do appear in a few episodes—“Snakes in the Grass” features deadly poisonous snakes, and “Brothers in Arms” starts with an apparent shark attack.
- In-Universe, "Snakes in The Grass" shows that DeShawn fully believes in this idea of Australia, at least at first.
- Fish out of Water: Both Jackson and Mackey are only just learning the ins and outs of Australian culture. Much comedy is drawn from this, such as Mackey and Jackson frequently being confused by Australian phrases and slang, and Mackey struggling to adjust to the way cars work in Australia, with JD taking advantage of this to Troll her by not saying anything when she tries to claim the driver’s seat by getting into the left side of the car, which in Australia is the passenger side.
- Hostage Situation:
- One of the assassins in "Gone Fission" use DeShawn as a Human Shield. However, Michelle gets in the way as a distraction long enough for JD to shoot the assassin in the head.
- In "Blonde Ambition", JD's son Jack is kidnapped in exchange for Ana.
- Jurisdiction Friction: With a USN sailor dying in Sydney during a press conference, NCIS and AFP argue over who controls the investigation.
- Multinational Team: The joint team is comprised of American and Australian law enforcement personnel.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping:
- Olivia Swann has a fairly convincing American accent, but she does slip on occasion. A particularly blatant example is when she has to say the word "mom" in "Snakes in the Grass".
- In "Ghosted", Linal Haft, who plays a US Marine that deserted in Sydney during Vietnam, makes a valiant attempt at a Joisey accent but he repeatedly lapses back into his natural English accent during his interrogation scenes.
- Rearrange the Song: Unlike most NCIS spinoffs which get their own distinct theme music (or a
Real Song Theme Tune in the case of NCIS NOLA), this show uses a new arrangement of the original NCIS theme, - Rogue Soldier:
- The task force confronts a USN logistics officer in charge of shipping and packing US military equipment in "Snakes in the Grass" as a suspect in smuggling guns.
- In "Ghosted", Frank Doherty deserted from his USN ship during the Vietnam War after he was allowed to be in Sydney for R&R. He later said that he deserted because he saw a lot of young and good guys getting killed fighting with the ARVN against the North Vietnamese.
- Sequel Goes Foreign: The show is the first in the NCIS franchise to be filmed/set outside of American soil — specifically, Australia.
- Shown Their Work: "Gone Fission" and "Snakes in a Grass" strongly imply that Michelle and DeShawn aren't allowed to be armed while in Australian soil (unless Canberra says it's okay).
- Spot the Imposter: When the teams meet a supposed inspection team on a sub, one member snaps at the group to "get off the ship." Having already been corrected on this several times by the NCIS team, Dempsey is quick to point out that real Navy personnel would be calling it a "boat."
- Spotting the Thread: In "Bunker Down," Mackey realizes a supposed pregnant woman is faking it as she was holding her wrist when her "water broke" only no matter how intense her "contractions" were, her pulse never jumped.
- Threatening Shark: “Brothers in Arms” starts with what seems to be the aftermath of a shark attack, but the truth is more complicated.
- Wham Episode: At the end of "Gone Fission", the lone female assassin named Ana, who disguised as a NAVSEA inspector, was not apprehended by the AFP. As such, the team is tasked to hunt her down when she surfaces.
- In Blonde Ambition", Ana was apprehended, but escaped custody. She gave JD a smartphone to phone someone for help. When JD does so, Mackey finds out that the number is connected to Col. Rankin.
