Nellie Andreeva

After months of negotiations, NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles executive producer/showrunner Shane Brennan has signed a new three-year, low-eight-figure deal with the CBS TV Studios. Additionally, the studio has inked a three-year, seven-figure overall deal with NCIS executive producer Gary Glasberg.

Brennan, who joined NCIS at the beginning of Season 4 in 2006 and was tapped as showrunner the following season, also created the spinoff NCIS:LA and for the past two seasons has been running both series. Under his new deal, he will continue to serve as an executive producer on both shows and will serve as full-time showrunner on NCIS: LA. Glasberg, who joined NCIS in 2009, will take over day-to-day showrunner duties on the mothership series after having been groomed for the role by Brennan for the past 2 seasons. Brennan’s deal also includes a development component. “Looking forward, I have a lot of stories to tell, but the focus will be on continuing the success of NCIS and NCIS: LA,” Brennan said. The Australian-born writer-producer admitted that returning home, where he has a family, had been on the back of his mind during the renegotiations with CBS Studios but added that “leaving wasn’t a real option.”  “I’m very grateful to CBS who took a big risk with me when I took over NCIS, so staying with them was crlearly the best thing to do.”

Under Brennan, NCIS has been on a ratings ascend,  cracking the Top 10 in Season 5, Brennan’s first on the show. Last season, NCIS became the most-watched scripted program on television, with an average audience of 18.9 million viewers. It continues to be No. 1 among all scripted shows this season and has actually increased its viewer average to 20 million, breaking series viewership records several times. Additionally, NCIS has been one of the best-performing drama series in off-network syndication, with highly rated reruns on USA, and internationally. Its spinoff NCIS: LA has also performed great. It is the second-most-watched scripted series on TV behind NCIS with an average of 17.2 million viewers. It landed a record off-network syndication deal with USA for $2 million-plus an episode only two months into its freshman series in 2009.

With the two deals, CBS studios has secured the key behind-the scenes component of NCIS, which in February was renewed for next season. At the time, the studio locked in series star Mark Harmon for two more years. The only cast member still without a deal for next season is Cote de Pablol. Brennan is with Paradigm, Glasberg with CAA.

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