It premiered on CBS on 22 September 2009 and ended with a two-part series finale on 14 and 21 May 2023 — a solid fourteen-year run that makes it one of the longest-running scripted shows on American television. Episodes per season The first ten seasons were a consistent 24 episodes each — classic American network television pacing. After that, episode counts dropped:Seasons 1–10 — 24 episodes each (2009–2019) Season 11 — 22 episodes (2019–2020) Season 12 — 18 episodes (2020–2021, shortened due to the pandemic) Season 13 — 22 episodes (2021–2022, includes the 300th episode) Season 14 — 21 episodes (2022–2023, the final season) Each episode runs roughly 42 minutes. If you're planning a full rewatch (or a first watch), that's approximately 226 hours of content — just shy of ten full days of non-stop viewing. At a more realistic pace of two episodes a day, it would take about five and a half months. What's it about? The series follows the Office of Special Projects (OSP), an undercover division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service based in Los Angeles. The team — led by agents G. Callen (Chris O'Donnell) and Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) — takes on high-stakes cases involving terrorism, espionage, and threats to national security. Rounding out the core cast are Daniela Ruah as Kensi Blye, Eric Christian Olsen as Marty Deeks, and Linda Hunt as the enigmatic operations manager Hetty Lange. It's a spin-off of the original NCIS (the characters were introduced in a two-part NCIS Season 6 episode in 2009), but it works perfectly well on its own. You don't need to have seen the parent show to follow along.
