Monday TV Ratings: How Did ‘NCIS’ Do in Its New Time Slot?

“Blood in the Water” - As the NCIS team searches for Gibbs after wreckage from his boat is discovered, they find out that he had been tracking a serial killer with the journalist, Marcie Warren (Pam Dawber) who had done an expose on him, on the 19th season premiere of NCIS, Monday, Sept. 20 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Mark Harmon as NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS (c)2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. — Sonja Flemming
“Blood in the Water” – As the NCIS team searches for Gibbs after wreckage from his boat is discovered, they find out that he had been tracking a serial killer with the journalist, Marcie Warren (Pam Dawber) who had done an expose on him, on the 19th season premiere of NCIS, Monday, Sept. 20 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Mark Harmon as NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS (c)2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

PUBLISHED: September 21, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. | UPDATED: September 27, 2021 at 9:39 p.m.

Inarguably the biggest and most surprising scheduling move for fall 2021 is NCIS out of its usual Tuesday, 8/7c slot to Mondays at 9/8c, leading into the new spinoff in the franchise, Hawai’i. But with the procedural heading into its 19th season, fans are likely to follow it wherever it goes, right?

Yes (mostly). NCIS still brought in the most viewers on September 20, with 8.15 million watching the premiere. That’s just slightly down from the Season 18 finale (8.5 million). Perhaps what will be most telling as to whether or not the night and time move will have any impact on its ratings is how many tune in next week, now that fans know Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon) fate after his boat exploded last spring.

Elsewhere on the night, NCIS: Hawai’i debuted to 6.33 million viewers, the most-watched show in its 10/9c slot opposite Ordinary Joe (3.81 million), the second most-watched scripted show on the night (after NCIS), and the most-watched new series of the night. The Big Leap also premiered, at 9/8c on Fox, to 1.97 million viewers. (But we should probably note the first two episodes of the Scott Foley-led drama have been available on Hulu for a week already.)

As for the reality competition series, The Voice and Dancing With the Stars faced off for two hours starting at 8/7c, and the former got the win, with 6.98 million watching. Meanwhile, 5.48 million tuned in to the new season of the ABC dance competition series. Both are down from their previous season premieres.