NCIS: Sydney season 2 can restore an essential tradition NCIS’ flagship series has ignored for several seasons by opting, instead, to try new things. The Aussie-themed NCIS offshoot returns to CBS on Friday, February 7, 2025, after the network bumped the rookie cop show’s premiere back by one week.
NCIS: Sydney’s cast and characters’ strong personalities were established in season 1. NCIS: Sydney introduced Olivia Swann as Special Agent Michelle Mackey, the team leader for the AFP/NCIS Sydney task force. Mackey and DeShawn Jackson (Sean Sagar), her NCIS partner, build ties with the Australian Federal Police members who complete their task force, building relationships with Jim “JD” Dempsey (Todd Lasance) and Constable Evie Cooper (Tuuli Narkle). In NCIS: Sydney season 2, the team’s connections will surely advance, setting up an enthralling sophomore outing.
NCIS Has A Long History Of Slow-Burn Romances
Tony And Ziva’s Love Story Is The Best Example
NCIS: Sydney can return the franchise’s history of slow-burn romance. NCIS developed a romance trend among its leading agents on the series, and it works for the franchise. The most noteworthy and memorable NCIS romance of all time was the slow-burn love affair between Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Mossad liaison Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), who was eventually an MCRT member. NCIS earned Tony and Ziva’s epic romance, barely fleshing out their romance on the flagship yet keeping Tony and Ziva’s connection as the series’ heartbeat. Now, the agents will appear in NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
The pairing also worked between Special Agent Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) and Eleanor Bishop (Emily Wickersham).
A relationship between MCRT’s leading agents anchors NCIS with compelling tension, and that’s why a love story between its leading agents works. The dynamic worked with Tony and Kate until Caitlin Tood’s shocking death in NCIS season 2. The pairing also worked between Special Agent Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) and Eleanor Bishop (Emily Wickersham), who teased a romance for several seasons before Ellie parted ways with the team. It looked like NCIS was going to make a bold yet wise move when it teased a romance between Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) and Nick, but alas, Nick’s girlfriend is Knight’s sister.
NCIS: Sydney’s Evie & DeShawn Can Be The Franchise’s Next Slow-Burn Romance
Evie And DeShawn Have All The Right Qualities
While the flagship seemingly misses an opportunity to establish a slow-burn romance in NCIS season 22, the franchise’s rookie procedural can take over the trend. NCIS: Sydney season 1 set the scene for a gradual romance between two of its leading agents, which has proven to be the perfect combination for the franchise. While a romance could also happen between Mackey and JD, the most promising development for the show is the budding romance between DeShawn and Evie, who established a strong connection in the series’ freshman outing.
While nothing technically happened between the agents, NCIS: Sydney gave us hints that DeShawn and Evie have profound feelings for one another heading into season 2. While she misses an opportunity to profess her love after Evie and the other NCIS: Sydney girls are locked in a decommissioned bunker, Evie makes a bold gesture toward DeShawn when she believes herself to be in the final moments of her life. Evie leaves a voicemail to DeShawn, apologizing for the recent tension. The constable’s choice to leave her final, dying words to DeShawn suggests that he is significant to Evie.
Why NCIS Has Veered From Slow-Burn Romances
NCIS Is Testing Something New
NCIS has veered away from slow-burn romances in recent seasons. For instance, the flagship show established a romance between Special Agent Knight and Dr. Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen). The romance took off relatively quickly, with the couple getting together after a short time and establishing a healthy relationship that was void of uncertainty. Romances like Jess and Jimmy’s could be a way for the series to develop love stories that are upfront yet compartmentalized instead of romanticizing connections between its agents that can sometimes cheapen the criminal investigations with trivial relationship banter.
There’s one more element to consider. While Tony and Ziva worked together frequently, the colleagues technically weren’t on the same team when they lit the flame of their romance. Ziva was a liaison officer, and Tony worked with NCIS. Similarly, Kensi (Daniela Ruah) worked with the Office of Special Projects in NCIS: Los Angeles, while her partner, Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen), was an LAPD-NCIS Liaison Officer. Therefore, based on NCIS history, Evie and DeShawn’s minor degree of separation in the workplace could prove to be NCIS: Sydney’s perfect basis for restoring a romance tradition to the franchise.
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