NCIS: Most Popular Show Of The Last 5 Years

After 23 seasons, NCIS has become a hugely successful TV franchise. While the original series continues, it’s been a somewhat challenging year for the NCIS universe. The new prequel, NCIS: Origins, is doing well, but NCIS: Tony & Ziva was recently cancelled after only one season.

The original NCIS series recently reached a remarkable milestone: its 500th episode. This puts it in exclusive company, as only four other TV shows – including long-running hits like Gunsmoke, The Simpsons, and Law & Order: SVU – have ever achieved this feat. Reaching 500 episodes is a major accomplishment for the series and a testament to its enduring popularity.

CBS

A recent report from Bloomberg reveals that NCIS has been the most-watched show over the past five years. Based on Nielsen streaming data, the CBS drama totaled an impressive 151 billion minutes viewed, surpassing even Grey’s Anatomy, as shown in the data below.

Top Shows From 2020 To 2025, By Minutes Watched (Credit: Screentime/Bloomberg)
Show Minutes Watched (Billions)
NCIS 151.4B
Grey’s Anatomy 148.8B
Bluey 137.7B
CoComelon 93.9B
Criminal Minds 89.6B
Suits 58.0B
The Office 57.1B
Ozark 46.3B
Stranger Things 45.6B
Love Is Blind 42.5B

These viewership numbers are from Nielsen and reflect data up to November 9, 2025. It’s important to remember that Nielsen only measures streaming in the United States. Also, their tracking method—which counts total minutes watched—tends to benefit shows with many episodes, like Grey’s Anatomy, Suits, and Criminal Minds, as well as popular children’s programs such as Bluey.

Despite these differences, NCIS continues to be incredibly popular. The CBS series has successfully retained its viewership even after significant cast changes and the departure of its longtime lead, Mark Harmon. Its availability on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Paramount+ probably also contributes to its continued success.

As a huge NCIS fan, I’m thrilled to see it’s still going strong after over twenty years! There’s been talk CBS might be thinking about wrapping things up, but the latest ratings prove how valuable the show still is. It really shows that giving us a good number of episodes keeps us invested for the long run, and I, for one, am incredibly happy about that!

NCIS season 23 returns Tuesday, February 24, at 8 PM ET on CBS

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2025-12-29 17:29