12 Movies Like NCIS You Need to Watch
Craving smart crime dramas and thrillers? Explore 12 picks with the team energy, suspense, and case-solving appeal fans of NCIS enjoy.
If you’re searching for movies like NCIS, you probably want the same mix of sharp investigations, strong team dynamics, and just enough danger to keep every scene moving. This list pulls together 12 picks that lean into crime, mystery, drama, thriller, and action, with familiar favorites like NCIS, CSI: NY, Criminal Minds, Bones, and NCIS: Sydney. You’ll also find stylish espionage and case-driven stories such as Alias, plus standout entries like Sparkling Cyanide and New Tricks that bring a different angle to the genre. Whether you prefer fast-paced field work, forensic clues, or character-driven detective stories, these titles deliver the kind of tension and payoff that fans of procedural storytelling tend to love.
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01
CSI: NY
action · crime · drama · mystery · thriller
Follow the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers identified as "Crime Scene Investigators".
Directed by Rob Bailey, Alex Zakrzewski, Christine Moore, Oz Scott, Duane ClarkCast Gary Sinise, Carmine Giovinazzo, Hill Harper, Eddie Cahill, Anna BelknapHulu -
02
Alias
action · drama · mystery · sci-fi · thriller
Sydney Bristow, an agent who has been tricked to believe she is working for the U.S. government, is actually working for a criminal organization named the Alliance of Twelve. Upon learning this, Sydney becomes a double agent for the real CIA.
Directed by Ken Olin, Lawrence Trilling, Jack Bender, Daniel Attias, J.J. AbramsCast Jennifer Garner, Ron Rifkin, Carl Lumbly, Kevin Weisman, Victor GarberDisney Plus -
03
Criminal Minds
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU who returns to help the team solve new cases.
Directed by Glenn Kershaw, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Rob Bailey, Edward Allen Bernero, Matthew Gray GublerCast Kirsten Vangsness, A.J. Cook, Matthew Gray Gubler, Joe Mantegna, Thomas GibsonAmazon Prime VideoHuluParamount Plus -
04
NCIS: Sydney
action · adventure · crime · drama · mystery · thriller
The brilliant and eclectic team of U.S. NCIS Agents and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are grafted into a multi-national taskforce to keep naval crimes in check in the most contested patch of ocean on the planet.
Directed by David Caesar, Catherine Millar, Jennifer Leacey, Kriv Stenders, Grant BrownCast Olivia Swann, Todd Lasance, Sean Sagar, Tuuli Narkle, Mavournee HazelParamount Plus -
05
Sparkling Cyanide
crime · drama · mystery
Based on the novel by Agatha Christie In this TV movie, a classic mystery is updated and relocated to a glamorous world of London socialites and secret agents, introducing two unique and compelling investigators and taking us through to the highest corridors of power.
Directed by Tristram PowellCast Kenneth Cranham, Rachel Shelley, Lia Williams, Justin Pierre, Richard CliffordHulu -
06
Bones
crime · drama · mystery
Dr. Temperance Brennan and her colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab assist Special Agent Seeley Booth with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless.
Directed by Ian Toynton, Dwight H. Little, Jeannot Szwarc, Chad Lowe, David BoreanazCast Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, Michaela Conlin, TJ Thyne, Tamara TaylorAmazon Prime VideoHuluPeacock Premium -
07
New Tricks
crime · drama
New Tricks is a British comedy-drama that follows the work of the fictional Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad of the Metropolitan Police Service. Originally led by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, it is made up of retired police officers who have been recruited to reinvestigate unsolved crimes.
Directed by Julian Simpson, Philip John, Martyn Friend, Rob Evans, Robin SheppardCast Dennis Waterman, Amanda Redman, Alun Armstrong, James Bolam, Anthony CalfHuluPeacock Premium -
08
Veronica Mars
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
In the fictional town of Neptune, California, student Veronica Mars progresses from high school to college while moonlighting as a private investigator under the tutelage of her detective father.
Directed by John T. Kretchmer, Nick Marck, Michael Fields, Harry Winer, Jason BloomCast Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Francis CapraNetflixHulu -
09
FBI
action · crime · drama · mystery · thriller
The New York office of the FBI brings to bear all their talents, intellect and technical expertise on major cases in order to keep their city and the country safe.
Directed by Alex Chapple, Jean de Segonzac, Carlos Bernard, Milena Govich, Jon CassarCast Missy Peregrym, Zeeko Zaki, Jeremy Sisto, Alana De La Garza, John BoydParamount Plus -
10
M.I.High
action · comedy · crime · family · thriller
A team of undercover teenage spies working for the fictional British secret intelligence agency MI9 who have to balance their school life with their jobs as secret agents.
Directed by Simon Hook, Mat King, Richard Elson, Toby Haynes, Richard SeniorCast Chris Stanton, Jonny Freeman, Rachel Petladwala, Channelle Owen, Charlene OsuagwuFreevee -
11
Lioness
action · drama · thriller
Cruz Manuelos, a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine, is recruited to join the CIA's Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within. Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program, is tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives.
Directed by Michael Friedman, John Hillcoat, Stephen Kay, Anthony Byrne, Paul CameronCast Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica GarrettParamount Plus -
12
The Closer
crime · drama · mystery
Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson transfers from Atlanta to LA to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Johnson's quirky personality and hard-nosed approach often rubs her colleagues the wrong way, but her reputation as one of the world's best interrogator eventually wins over even her toughest critics.
Directed by Michael M. Robin, Rick Wallace, Arvin Brown, Elodie Keene, Nelson McCormickCast Kyra Sedgwick, J.K. Simmons, Corey Reynolds, Robert Gossett, G.W. BaileyNetflix
Wrapping Up
These picks work because they balance suspense, character chemistry, and satisfying case solving without losing momentum. From the forensic edge of Bones and CSI: NY to the intelligence-led tension of Alias and Criminal Minds, there’s plenty here for anyone who likes smart, high-stakes storytelling. Bookmark this page and come back whenever you want another batch of crime and mystery favorites to try. The list is updated regularly, so you’ll always have fresh options to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these movies similar to NCIS?
These picks were matched by tone, themes, and story style using a similarity model trained on plot synopses, genres, and cast — not just shared genre tags — so the connection runs deeper than a simple category match.
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Last updated: September 11, 2026