Paramount+ has positioned itself as the streaming home for the NCIS franchise, hosting the flagship show and spin-offs such as NCIS: Sydney, NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Hawaiʻi, yet NCIS: Los Angeles remains conspicuously absent from the US service. The article argues this is a significant gap, likely caused by older syndication or licensing agreements rather than a deliberate creative decision, but one that undermines Paramount+'s claim to be the definitive NCIS destination given the show's importance to the franchise.

NCIS: Los Angeles ran for 14 seasons from 2009 to 2023, becoming the franchise's first spin-off and one of CBS's longest-running dramas, with a cast including Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J and Linda Hunt. The series crossed over with the original NCIS, NCIS: Hawaiʻi, Hawaii Five-0 and JAG, helping establish a shared television universe years before such interconnected franchises became common, meaning its absence from Paramount+ prevents fans from watching the wider franchise chronologically or following its major crossover storylines in full.