NCIS Season 22 is officially wrapping up, which is a wild thing to say. After 22 years of dominating both the procedural genre and CBS’ programming, the original series is still riding high, outlasting three spin-offs, but the franchise continues to expand with a new spin-off, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, and an upcoming second season of spin-off NCIS: Origins, following a young Leroy Gibbs, and a third season of NCIS: Sydney.
But NCIS does not own the procedural genre, no matter how much it wants you to think otherwise. The genre existed long before and will continue to thrive long after. To that end, we’ve put together this list of underrated procedurals like NCIS. While these may not all have the same light tone or investigative focus, they will give you plenty of quality television to stream while you wait for NCIS Season 23.
Safe (2018)
Before Michael C. Hall returns to his iconic role as Dexter Morgan for serial killer procedural Dexter: Resurrection, maybe explore his short-lived British series, Safe. This 2018 series is about a surgeon whose teenaged daughter suddenly goes missing after a party, and the haunting web of lies he uncovers in his quest to find her. While it may not have the buttoned-down military appeal of NCIS, Safe has the tense drama and harrowing mystery fans of the CBS procedural have come to love. Safe itself was beloved by critics, though its eight episode, single season run has caused it to be somewhat forgotten over time.
Numb3rs (2005-2010)
CBS has been the king of the procedural for quite some time now, and that means there’s a lot of shows on the network competing for attention. One such show is Numb3rs, a crime-busting procedural that manages to add a lot of math into the mix. Starring Northern Exposure’s Rob Morrow and Oppenheimer’s David Krumholtz, the show follows a pair of brothers—Don, a top FBI agent, and Charlie, a university math professor—as they team up with their father (played by legendary Taxi alum Judd Hirsch) to stop a variety of crimes and catastrophes using Charlie’s unique understanding of mathematics to identify and solve cases. Numb3rs was a reliable hit for CBS in an era where streaming hadn’t yet taken off, but it just never managed to be as huge as its NCIS and CSI counterparts.
The Killing (2011-2014)
It is somewhat ironic that a series called The Killing managed to survive its own demise not once, but twice. Inspired by Danish television series Forbrydelsen, The Killing follows homicide detectives Sarah Linden (Good Omens’ Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (For All Mankind’s Joel Kinnaman) as they solve a number of grisly murders in gloomy Seattle, WA. The original 2011 run, which aired on AMC, was critically acclaimed, but never a massive hit, leading to a near cancellation after its second season. When a third season failed to perform, the series was cancelled before being picked up by Netflix for a fourth season, but even that wasn’t enough to garner a fanbase. It’s a shame, because The Killing is revered for its creepy tone and horrifying story, and it’s absolutely worth a watch if you’re wanting something a little scarier than NCIS gets.
ReGenesis (2004-2008)
If you like NCIS but prefer a little more science fiction in your procedural dramas, perhaps it’s time for a trip to the Great White North. ReGenesis is a Canadian science fiction drama that ran from 2004 to 2008 and stars Peter Outerbridge (who will next be seen in the It prequel, Welcome to Derry) as David Sandström, the chief scientist of NorBAC, an organization which investigates medical and scientific threats. While ReGenesis was seen globally in various forms (including syndication in the United States), it never really garnered a huge following. Today, it’s best remembered as a trivia answer for the Season 1 appearances of a young Elliot Page as David’s daughter, Lilith, years before the two appeared on The Umbrella Academy together.
Profiler (1996-2000)
NBC really had the crime thriller market hemmed down in the ‘90s, and one of the jewels in that crown was Profiler. This classic series follows the cases of the Violent Crimes Task Force, an organization that employs Sam Waters (played by Sons of Anarchy’s Ally Walker), a criminal profiler who has unique insight into the minds of criminals. For much of the series, Sam and the VCTF are chasing the mysterious Jack of All Trades, a serial killer who murdered her husband years earlier, all while solving increasingly horrifying murders around the country. Profiler’s tense drama and horrifying action made it a hit for its first three seasons, but the departure of Walker early in Season 4 killed much of its momentum with fans.
Lie to Me (2009-2011)
Lie to Me has a different approach to the procedural genre. Rather than focusing on detectives solving crimes or police gathering evidence, it takes a strictly psychological approach. The series stars Tim Roth as Cal Lightman, a psychologist who can determine if an individual is lying by reading their microexpressions and body language. The result was an incredibly tense series, built around the interactions between Lightman, the various individuals he had been hired to investigate, and the members of his team at the Lightman Institute. The show reviewed incredibly well, and its first season was one of the few Fox shows of the era to hold an audience from its lead-in, the mega-popular House, M.D., but it quickly dipped in ratings, ending after three seasons.
JAG (1995-2005)
It’s probably really odd to call this one underrated, but how many NCIS fans really remember JAG some 20-plus years after its finale, let alone remember that NCIS originally spun off from the show? JAG (short for Judge Advocate General) follows a band of Navy lawyers in stories based on actual military legal cases and storylines, much like other popular procedurals at the time, and focuses more on courtroom drama than criminal investigations. For the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, JAG was a spectacular hit that built CBS’s now dominant procedural empire. Today, JAG is mostly forgotten and rarely discussed, with its last real acknowledgement being a storyline featuring stars David James Elliot and Catherine Bell on NCIS: Los Angeles.
Evil (2019-2024)
One of the biggest tragedies to happen during the shift from CBS to Paramount+ is how many shows that should have been hits got lost in the shuffle. Evil debuted on CBS in 2019 with the promise of being a spectacular supernatural drama. In the series, a Catholic priest (Luke Cage star Mike Colter), a psychologist (Westworld star Katja Herbers), and a tech expect (former The Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi) combat purported supernatural threats and the debate over whether they’re really supernatural or something else. Despite a positive first season and strong reviews, Evil was quickly moved to Paramount+ to bolster the platform’s streaming line-up, where it just never really seemed to get the word of mouth it deserved.
In Plain Sight (2008-2012)
The coveted Blue Sky era of USA Network programming seemed to end just as quickly as it began, but right in the center were some great shows that a lot of people have forgotten about. Sandwiched in the middle was In Plain Sight, a series about US Marshalls working in the Federal Witness Security Program. The series contended largely with case of the week stories as Mary Shannon (The West Wing’s Mary McCormack) worked to protect and secure witnesses. While received well, it suffered from behind-the-scenes changes and drama, resulting in a tumultuous run. Despite a strong reception, In Plain Sight is largely overshadowed today by the legacy of other shows of the era, like Monk and Psych.
Third Watch (1999-2005)
NBC managed to sneak one more procedural onto its schedule in the late ‘90s, and it managed to be completely overshadowed by everything around it. Set in the same universe as the wildly popular ER, Third Watch follows New York police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel who work the titular “third watch” from 3PM to 11PM. The show was a hit and a natural fit for a network riding high from ER, which even managed to finagle a crossover by sending a few characters to New York. But Third Watch really came into its own with its third season, which reflected in depth on the tragedy of the September 11th attacks. Third Watch is a must-watch classic, but it sadly just doesn’t have the legacy of ER or the Law & Order series it ran alongside.
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