Back in the early 2000s, the popular CBS naval-based legal drama "JAG" was spun off into the similarly-themed "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service," thankfully shortened to just "NCIS." It took a few seasons to find its audience, but CBS stuck with "NCIS" -- and that confidence paid off, because the show finally cracked the top five in Season 6 and has stayed there since. That's even despite the fact that "NCIS" cast members thought one thing would kill the series, but didn't.

Like any popular police procedural of the last 30 years, "NCIS" would go on to spawn multiple spin-offs. Inspired by "CSI," most of those spin-offs have been focused on a particular location -- "NCIS: Los Angeles," "NCIS: New Orleans," "NCIS: Hawai'i," and even going international with "NCIS: Sydney." But the "NCIS" franchise has gotten a little more creative in recent years, including prequel series "NCIS: Origins" -- which debuted in October 2024 -- and the upcoming "NCIS: Tony & Ziva," centered on the titular couple.

Of course, as it goes with TV franchises like this, not all spin-offs have been hits. And unlike "Law & Order," whose "Special Victims Unit" surpassed the anchor show in popularity and longevity, the OG "NCIS" remains the best of its bunch. But in this one-of-a-kind ranking of the best seasons of the entire "NCIS" family of shows -- culled from a mix of critical consensus, fan lists, and the opinions of the "Looper" staff -- a few spin-offs' seasons did find themselves worthy of inclusion.