Paramount Australia has announced the cast of NCIS: SYDNEY, which is currently filming in Sydney. Exclusive in Australia to Paramount+ and Network 10, the first-ever international series from the global NCIS franchise sees rising international tensions in the Indo-Pacific. The team of U.S. NCIS Agents and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are grafted into a multi-national taskforce, to keep naval crimes in check, in the most contested patch of ocean on the planet.
The NCIS: SYDNEY team will be led by NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey played by Olivia Swann (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The River Wild) and her 2IC AFP counterpart, Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey played by Todd Lasance (Without Remorse, Spartacus: War of the Damned).
They are joined by Sean Sagar (The Covenant, Mea Culpa) as NCIS Special Agent, DeShawn Jackson; Tuuli Narkle (Mystery Road: Origin, Bad Behaviour) as AFP Liaison Officer, Constable Evie Cooper; Mavournee Hazel (Shantaram, Halifax: Retribution) as AFP Forensic Scientist, Bluebird ‘Blue’ Gleeson and William McInnes (The Newsreader, Total Control) as AFP Forensic Pathologist, Dr Roy Penrose.
Rick Maier, head of drama, Paramount Australia and New Zealand said: “Wow. One of the best- loved franchises in the world in the hands of one of our best production companies and an outrageously talented cast and crew. NCIS: SYDNEY is exciting for all of us at Paramount and we hope one of the most eagerly anticipated commissions of the year.”
“We are thrilled to be expanding the NCIS franchise, one of our most powerful and iconic television IPs, across borders and into Australia,” said Lindsey Martin, head of international co-productions and development at CBS Studios. “It is 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.”
Endemol Shine Australia head of scripted, Sara Richardson said: “At the heart of NCIS are charismatic and engaging characters that audiences fall in love with. We have found just that with our incredible cast and the tight team they have formed. This first international iteration has all the DNA of the beloved franchise, but with a quintessentially Australian flavour.”
NCIS: SYDNEY is produced for CBS Studios and Paramount Australia by Endemol Shine Australia, and distributed outside Australia by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
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NCIS is one of the world’s most successful TV dramas, ranking as the #1 U.S. TV drama franchise globally. In the U.S. alone, NCIS has amassed over 4.1 trillion minutes viewed across the entire franchise during its 20 years on TV. NCIS, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, NCIS: HAWAI’I and NCIS: NEW ORLEANS, have been licensed in over 200 markets worldwide and NCIS won the International Audience Award as the most watched television series by Meìdiameìtrie and Eurodata in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
