Australia’s long history of nailing American TV spin-offs ahead of NCIS: Sydney premiere

The TV world’s eyes will soon turn to Australia with the launch of NCIS: Sydney but it’s far from the first time we’ve been trusted to a make a major series work here.

Australia’s long batted way above our weight globally in terms of television, with our flair for adapting international formats stretching back to the early days.

It was amped up when visionary Reg Grundy bought a game show from NBC in 1969, launched it as Great Temptation, before later revamping it in 1980 as Sale of the Century.

“It was so successful with the bouncy (host) Tony Barber that his presenting style would be mimicked around the world,” TV Tonight’s David Knox said.

NCIS: Sydney will be the first international spin-off of the hit CBS franchise in its storeyed 20-year history.

The world’s eyes will again be on our industry with the launch of NCIS: Sydney – the first international spin-off of the hit CBS franchise in its storeyed 20-year history.

NCIS’s 21st season was slated for a spring release but has been pushed back following the Hollywood strikes. That’s turned out to be a bonus for the Australian version which was originally planned for only a local release. It will now be seen internationally to help fill holes in network’s schedules.

There’s a certain amount of pressure given the OG flagship – with Mark Harmon as the prickly Jethro Gibbs – has cemented itself as one of the world’s most successful TV drama franchises. In the States alone, the military police procedural series has amassed more than 4.1 trillion minutes viewed during its 20 years on TV.

MasterChef Australia 2023 winner, Brent Draper. Picture. Channel 10

CBS Studios head of international co-productions Lindsey Martin said the network was thrilled to be expanding the NCIS franchises – one of their most powerful and iconic television IPs – into Australia.

“It’s a joy to work with this talented NCIS: Sydney creative team, actors, and crew for our

inaugural international original, and to be able to tell our exciting NCIS stories with a uniquely Australian sensibility,” she said.

Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey and Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim Dempsey, on the set of NCIS: Sydney. Picture: Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+

Knox is confident the local version, whose cast includes Todd Lasance, Olivia Swann, William McInnes and Mavournee Hazel, will more than match its illustrious forebears.

“The decision to make NCIS: Sydney was not a surprise given Australian screenwriter Shane Brennan became showrunner for NCIS in 2006, creating the LA spin-off in 2009,” he said.

“He’s been committed to developing Australian writers and no doubt the new Paramount+ series will draw upon the best of both worlds.”

Lasance – who is AFP Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey – said it’s been the dream working on an international franchise in his home country.

Dancing With The Stars with 2023 winners Phil Burton and Ash-Leigh Hunter.

“I’ll probably be a broken record by the time we’re five seasons in,” he said.

“It has honestly been the dream. I don’t say that lightly.

“But for an Australian to shoot a US series of this scale, of this history, of this following in Australia.

“It’s going to be global and it just ticks all the boxes.”

The eight-part series is set against the spectacular backdrop of one of the world’s most breathtaking harbours – Sydney. And around current affairs.

When an American Submariner dies during a ceremony honouring the AUKUS agreement; American NCIS Agents and Australian AFP Officers are thrust together in a joint investigation. However, what first appears as an accident soon reveals itself to be murder, and the disparate team have to join forces to secure military secrets and prevent disaster on Sydney Harbour.

MasterChef Australia 2023 winner, Brent Draper. Picture. Channel 10

And the Harbour is very much front and centre. There’s not a green screen to be seen.

“I’ve never seen my own country looking like this, let alone the world seeing Sydney like this,” Lasance, whose extensive resume includes international roles in Without Remorse, Black Site, The Vampire Diaries and The Flash, plus on Aussie shows such as Anzac Girls, Crownies, McLeod’s Daughters and Home and Away, said.

“It’s phenomenal the locations that we go to. And nothing is built and nothing is fake.”
Even though the landscape and the bridge look so picture perfect that international audiences might think otherwise.

“We saw a publicity photo of Liv (Swann) and I yesterday and we were like ‘that looks fake’,” he said.

“Every shot in the trailer – when you see someone in front of the bridge of the water, It’s all real and it just looks too perfect.

“It’s a bit frustrating because I’m like ‘well everybody’s going to be saying why are they green-screening the Bridge?’.”

There’s already good form for Aussie dramas with the Foxtel Group’s successful adaptations of Euro-dramas such as Love Me. Or The Twelve, which – with its second season due to air next year, after filming in WA wrapped this week – will outlast the original.

New MasterChef Australia line-up of Jean-Christophe Novelli, Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin, Melissa Leong and Amaury Guichon.

Knox also attributes the global rise of stripped-back reality shows – “for better or worse” – as an Aussie invention.

“ (Endemol Shine founders) Producers Mark and Carl Fennessy took the rights from The Biggest Loser, and quickly thereafter, MasterChef, and made them multi-night (rating successes) on Network Ten,” Knox said.

“MasterChef, in particular, was then replicated in multiple territories using the Australian format, including in its country of origin – Britain.”

Seven’s name change and twist on the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing was another savvy decision.

“Seven gave Dancing with the Stars a new title when they picked up the oddly-worded Strictly in 2004, leading to a very long run and copied around the world,” Knox said.

Then there’s Nine’s ratings juggernaut, Married At First Sight.

Reports from this month’s Mipcom – the four-day TV market held in Cannes – indicate there was a lot of chatter about the reality love show, which began its life 10 years ago on Danish TV.

Like the above international formats, it was Australia’s finesse which turned it into a “blue-chip title” commanding big dollars at the annual conference where global program buyers, studio exhibitors, producers and network executives are all in attendance.

There are now 29 versions of Married At First Sight, airing everywhere from Germany, the Czech Republic, France and Italy to English-language versions in the UK and US. And just about all launched after our version in 2015.

NCIS: Sydney will be available on Paramount+

Originally published as Australia’s long history of nailing American TV spin-offs ahead of NCIS: Sydney premiere