The agents of NCIS: Sydney are back for their biggest season yet. The third season premiere, “Gut Instinct,” launched on October 14, 2025, on CBS, thrusting the team into a dangerous investigation involving missing Navy aviators and a sinister terrorist threat. This new season features an expanded 20-episode order and a move to Tuesday nights as part of the network’s NCIS lineup.
Where and When to Watch the New Season
The third season of NCIS: Sydney premiered on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 10 PM ET/PT on the CBS television network. The show has moved from its previous Friday time slot to join the other NCIS franchise shows on Tuesday nights.
For viewers who prefer streaming, the episode is available on Paramount+. Paramount+ Premium subscribers can stream the episode live as it airs on TV or on-demand immediately after. Paramount+ Essential subscribers can watch new episodes on-demand the day after they premiere on CBS, which would be Wednesday nights.
In Australia, the series is available to stream exclusively on Paramount+. Other international viewers can check their local Paramount+ services, with release dates varying by region, such as the UK receiving the episode on October 15.
Unpacking the Season Premiere: “Gut Instinct”
The season premiere, titled “Gut Instinct,” immediately plunges the team into a high-stakes case. The investigation begins with the discovery of two missing U.S. Navy aviators found adrift in the Coral Sea. What initially appears to be a tragic accident quickly unravels into something far more dangerous.
The official logline for the episode states:
“The discovery of two missing U.S. Navy aviators adrift in the Coral Sea leads the team to expose a sinister terrorist plot.”
Alongside this central case, the premiere also addresses the major cliffhanger from the Season 2 finale, which showed forensic scientist Bluebird “Blue” Gleeson returning home to find a mysterious woman waiting for her. The repercussions of this encounter are set to significantly impact Blue and the entire team dynamic throughout the new season.
The Team and New Season Storylines
The full main cast returns for the new season, including Olivia Swann as NCIS Supervisory Special Agent Michelle Mackey and Todd Lasance as Australian Federal Police Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey. They are joined by Sean Sagar as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, Tuuli Narkle as AFP Constable Evie Cooper, Mavournee Hazel as AFP forensic scientist Bluebird “Blue” Gleeson, and William McInnes as AFP forensic pathologist Roy “Rosie” Penrose.
Series creator and executive producer Morgan O’Neill has teased that a key theme for the third season is confronting one’s past. He indicated that the characters will find that avoiding their histories only leads to a more forceful confrontation later.
“It’s definitely a case of accepting the reality that you can’t outrun your past and that if you don’t deal with it, it’s going to come back and hit you like a freight train. And in Season 3 it does,” O’Neill told TV Insider.
This theme will play out for multiple characters. The dynamic between agents Jackson and Cooper will see a significant change, while the will-they-won’t-they tension between Mackey and JD will continue to simmer as they navigate their roles as team leaders.
A Bigger Scale and New Adventures
The third season of NCIS: Sydney is its largest to date, with a order of 20 episodes, double the length of the previous season’s 10 episodes. Producers have promised an increase in the scale and scope of the cases, with the team investigating everything from an Ebola scare to what has been described as Australia’s version of the Roswell incident in the deep outback.
The production has also expanded its filming locations beyond Sydney to include areas in the Northern Territory, such as Darwin, showcasing more diverse Australian landscapes. The season’s storyline picks up about a month after the events of the Season 2 finale, with the team having undergone some shifts that become apparent early in the premiere.
How to Catch Up on Previous Seasons
For new viewers or those looking to revisit earlier cases, the first two seasons of NCIS: Sydney are available for streaming on Paramount+. The series is the first NCIS franchise show set outside the United States, focusing on a joint task force of NCIS special agents and Australian Federal Police officers who investigate crimes involving U.S. military personnel in the Indo-Pacific region.
The show originally premiered in November 2023 and was quickly renewed for a second season, which aired from February to April 2025. Its integration into the CBS Tuesday night lineup alongside the other NCIS shows marks a new chapter for the Australian spin-off.
Also Read: NCIS: Origins Season 1: Your Complete Guide to the Story So Far Before Watching The Second Chapter
