NCIS: Sydney is almost here and will open up a whole new world for the long-running franchise. The series is NCIS' first international spinoff, and CBS was even celebrating by airing Sydney commercials upside down to get people interested. While the NCIS: Sydney cast is already completed, there’s always the possibility more stars could be added. Could that even include Hawaii Five-0’s Australian lead Alex O’Loughlin?
In 2011, NCIS: Los Angeles’ Daniela Ruah appeared on Hawaii Five-0 to reprise NCIS Special Agent Kensi Blye, and this brought the Hawaii-set series into the NCIS franchise. Even more, the two shows had a two-part crossover event the following year. Although Hawaii Five-0 ended three years ago, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the end of the characters. Creator Morgan O’Neill tells TVLine that there’s always a possibility they could be brought back:
Look, we haven’t written off the possibility of him popping up. Alex is a fantastic actor, as you would well know. . . . I don’t know what it is in the water down here, but Australians have a tendency to kind of bat a bit out of our weight category when it comes to producing actors and creative people. So, I’m pretty sure Alex will pop up somewhere. He’s a fantastic actor and a good guy.
O’Loughlin’s last acting credit was Hawaii Five-0, with nothing new planned yet. It’s been three years since fans last saw him on their screens. He was pretty steady with the acting since 2003 and starred on all 10 seasons of the CBS procedural, so it’s not surprising that he would want to take a bit of a break. However, his return to television is definitely long overdue. A show filming in his home country and returning to CBS would surely be icing on the cake.
Even if Alex O’Loughlin does eventually appear on NCIS: Sydney, it’s always possible that Steve McGarrett won’t. The actor could portray a completely different character instead, as it’s been done before. Take Katrina Law, for instance. O’Loughlin’s former Hawaii Five-0 co-star now stars on the mothership NCIS series as Jessica Knight rather than Quinn Liu. Either way, it would definitely be nice to see him on NCIS: Sydney, no matter what who he plays. It doesn’t seem like that will be happening any time soon, but hopefully the series will be renewed for a second season, so there are more chances.
Meanwhile, NCIS: Sydney may be taking place Down Under, but that isn’t stopping the series from referencing the rest of the NCIS franchise. Morgan O’Neill previously teased that there are Easter Eggs, but obviously wouldn’t specify what and how. NCIS is a big organization, so it’s likely the U.S. agents on Sydney have come across or at least heard of some of the agents that fans know well. It’s also possible that Sydney could get in on some crossover action once NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i finally come back following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Fans will have to tune in to NCIS: Sydney on the 2023 TV schedule to see what happens in this franchise's new series and hope that familiar faces will show up on Sydney sooner or later. The drama will officially premiere on CBS on Tuesday, November 14 at 8 p.m. ET, and can also be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription.
