Where was NCIS filmed? Explore NCIS filming locations from California to Alaska, plus NCIS Origins spots and fun fan trivia.
Ah, NCIS. The show that made us all want to work for a highly specialized, fictitious naval criminal investigation unit while learning life lessons about loyalty, trust, and head slaps.
Ever wondered where NCIS was filmed? Despite all those D.C. landmarks and boat-building basements, most of it wasn’t filmed anywhere near the USA’s capital.
Let’s dive into the NCIS filming locations that’ve had us obsessed for over two decades — complete with some good ol’ Gibbs rules.
Table of Contents
Where Was NCIS Filmed?
Faster than Ziva vaulting over a car in a high-speed chase, this guide to NCIS filming locations will have you booking a trip before Gibbs can say “Grab your gear!”
📍 Santa Clarita Studios, California — The Real “NCIS HQ”
When fans ask, Where was NCIS filmed?, the easy answer is: Santa Clarita, California.
While the show pretends to be in Washington, D.C., most of the action, from autopsy drama to Abby’s Caf-Pow-fueled investigations, happens at Santa Clarita Studios in California (25135 Anza Drive, Santa Clarita, CA), the show’s home since its pilot in 2003.
Famous for its NCIS filming sets, the studio contains the squad room, autopsy, interrogation rooms, and Gibbs’ basement — yes, the basement where boats defy all laws of physics by being launched without doors.
It’s also where we’ve heard classics like:
“Grab your gear.” — Leroy Jethro Gibbs, approximately 1,267 times.
Even during COVID protocols, Santa Clarita Studios remained the primary NCIS filming location, complete with enhanced safety procedures and creatively staged scenes to keep Tony’s flirtations socially distanced.
Visit Santa Clarita, California
📍 Gibbs’ Diner — Santa Clarita’s Most Famous Coffee Refill
Where was NCIS filmed when it came to Gibbs’ favorite booth? On-screen, it’s Gibbs’ Diner, later renamed Elaine’s Diner, where Gibbs broods over black coffee, conducts off-the-books interrogations, and occasionally drops life advice with the wisdom of a grizzled oracle.
In fact, it’s where he once growled:
“Coffee. Black. Like my soul.”
Fans love this NCIS filming location because it’s one of the few recurring non-office, non-lab spots where the team could grab a slice of pie without a body in the trunk. However, this diner was not a real-world restaurant, but a fictional location used for filming scenes in the show.
📍 Valencia, California — Outdoor Scenes and “D.C.” Streets
When the team isn’t chasing suspects inside, they’re probably outside…on the NCIS filming location backlot in Valencia. This Southern California area moonlights as Washington, D.C. alleyways, and Navy yards.
The Santa Clarita Valley, including places like Valencia, Newhall, and Saugus, was used for outdoor scenes. If you’ve spotted the team dramatically walking away from a crime scene while McGee spits out some high-tech jargon, it was likely shot here.
Remember this gem?
“Rule number 9: Never go anywhere without a knife.” — Gibbs, said somewhere in a very palm-tree-adjacent alley posing as D.C.
Valencia’s climate and proximity to Santa Clarita Studios made it a go-to spot when NCIS was filming new episodes. Spoiler: They were probably in Valencia if the weather looked suspiciously non-East Coast.
📍 Stillwater, Pennsylvania — By Way of Sunny California
Where was NCIS filmed when Gibbs went back to his small-town roots? Surprise — it wasn’t Stillwater, Pennsylvania.
The charming, rustic streets of Stillwater were actually filmed in Piru, California, a little town in Ventura County that regularly moonlights as Anywhere, USA on screen.
Stillwater pops up in a few key episodes: the Season 7 finale, Season 8 premiere, and it really takes center stage in the Season 11 finale when Gibbs faces ghosts of his past (and probably downed an industrial amount of black coffee in the process).
Memorably, in Stillwater, Gibbs once mused:
“Some scars you see, some you don’t.”
And honestly, considering the production heat in southern California, those actors probably had both. So while the real Stillwater might be a fictional dot on a map, Piru gives it that old-school, American hometown vibe — minus, you know, the murder investigations at every turn.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can visit Lake Piru, where the scenery’s gorgeous, the air’s fresh, and you can pretend you’re hunting down fugitives with Gibbs. Bonus points if you bring a travel mug of black coffee and mutter Rule #11 to strangers.
📍 Pasadena City Hall — The Fake D.C. Government Building
If you’re wondering where NCIS was filmed during those episodes with important government briefings, chances are you were actually looking at Pasadena City Hall.
Its domed top has played the stand-in for countless D.C. landmarks, from the Pentagon to random federal buildings.
Fun fact: In season 5, during “Requiem,” when Gibbs rescues Maddie from kidnappers, those steps aren’t in D.C. — they’re in sunny Pasadena.
Quote we all felt:
“You mess with my people, you answer to me.” — Gibbs
Pasadena also popped up often before COVID changed NCIS filming location logistics, as it provided classic government exterior shots without a cross-country budget.
📍 NCIS: New Orleans — Bourbon Street & Beyond
Yes, NCIS filming locations in New Orleans deserve their own mention. Though sadly canceled in 2021, NCIS: New Orleans filmed heavily on location in the French Quarter.
If you’ve seen Pride walk those cobblestone streets or Loretta Wade examine evidence at Café du Monde, it was legit New Orleans magic. A quote we loved:
“In New Orleans, we don’t run from ghosts. We dance with them.” — Dwayne Pride
The NCIS filming schedule for NOLA included real Mardi Gras parades and landmarks like St. Louis Cathedral, adding authenticity that fans adored. If you’ve got an NCIS filming locations map, pin New Orleans — it earned its place.
📍 Miami, Florida — Sun, Sand, and Naval Crime
While NCIS usually fakes its D.C. streets in California, the show occasionally packed its bags and headed to Miami for episodes that needed legit palm trees, real ocean breezes, and a little Florida drama.
Notably, in Season 2’s “See No Evil,” when a naval officer’s family gets kidnapped, some of those crisp marina and beach scenes were shot on location in Miami.
And of course, where there’s sunshine, Tony DiNozzo is cracking wise:
“I’m telling you, Boss — this humidity’s a crime in itself.”
Though it wasn’t a major NCIS filming location, Miami still earned a spot on the NCIS filming locations map for those rare but memorable episodes. If you blinked, you might have mistaken it for an episode of Miami Vice… just with fewer pastel suits and more head slaps.
And yes — rumor has it Gibbs once considered Rule #93: “Never trust a guy who wears socks with sandals in Miami.”
📍 NCIS: Hawai’i — Aloha to Naval Crimes
NCIS filming in Hawaii became a thing in 2021 with NCIS: Hawai’i, starring Vanessa Lachey as Jane Tennant.
Most scenes were shot at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and the bustling streets of Oahu.
Notable quote:
“Nothing stays buried in paradise.” — Jane Tennant
Hawai’i’s beaches, mountains, and Pearl Harbor backdrop give this spinoff a distinctly different feel. Bonus: You can actually book a Pearl Harbor tour, though don’t expect to find Ernie’s lab inside.
📍 Alaska — Where Gibbs Trades Head Slaps for Bear Slaps
Yes, you read that right — NCIS filmed in Alaska. Specifically, in Bristol Bay, because apparently even Gibbs needs to get off the grid sometimes… preferably to a place where the Wi-Fi is terrible, the fish outnumber people, and head slaps are replaced by dodging actual bears.
In the storyline, Gibbs moves to the fictional town of Naktok Bay in southwest Alaska, and it wasn’t just a random pick. Mark Harmon reportedly pushed for this location because of his deep love for the area’s wildlife and natural beauty.
Protecting wildlife, solving murders, building boats by hand — is there anything Gibbs can’t do? One fan-favorite line from this snowy chapter:
“I didn’t come here to fish.”
Translation: Even in Alaska, Gibbs is still on a case.
Where is NCIS: Origins Filming?
Now, if you’re wondering, what is NCIS: Origins? — It’s the prequel we didn’t know we desperately needed. Following a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the ‘90s, NCIS: Origins dives into his early cases and infamous head-slap origin story.
Personally, I think young Mike Franks (played by Kyle Schmid) is the most interesting character in NCIS: Origins – because he’s the grizzled, sharp-tongued mentor we didn’t know we desperately needed…
…the kind of guy who could survive a bar brawl, solve a murder, and still have time to dispense a life lesson between sips of whiskey.
NCIS: Origins filming locations are primarily in California (Santa Clarita again!) and Vancouver, Canada, standing in for 1990s Washington, D.C.
Word is, NCIS: Origins Season 2 is already on the NCIS filming schedule for later this year.
Quote you can expect:
“Kid, rule number 1: Never let suspects sit together.” — Young Gibbs, probably.
Where to watch NCIS: Origins? Check your Amazon Prime Video subscription or whatever streaming service is nearest to your Caf-Pow.
💘 Coming Up – NCIS: Tony & Ziva
So, is NCIS filming new episodes? Always. Somewhere.
Fans of everyone’s favorite NCIS couple, Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David (Tiva, as they’re affectionately known to us romantics), will be chuffed to know that Paramount+ has greenlit a 10-episode series of NCIS: Tony & Ziva. (Yay!)
And next time someone asks, “Where was NCIS filmed?” — you’ve got your answer. Probably near Santa Clarita.
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