Welcome to the NCIS Message Board. We're here to discuss the show, the production team and the actors (Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, David McCallum, Pauley Perrette, Cote de Pablo and Lauren Holly).
Lively discussion and spirited debate is to be expected, but no bashing or flaming allowed.
Thank you.
Feel free to use the emoticons to enhance your posts:
Hey everybody....I heard from Luoodles... all is well she just took the Ducky board down becaus SG1 was gone and the new show SGU is so bad. -- LadyC....., 19:39:31 11/14/09 Sat [2]
What's up with mettings in the bathroom -- Becki, 14:48:29 11/13/09 Fri [4]
My question is why does it seem that Tony and Ziva always have private conversations in the bathroom? Are they trying to hide the fact that they like eah other from everyone else? I just think it is very odd. What do you all think?
LA Times article -- KatRose, 16:46:53 10/20/09 Tue [4] 'NCIS' rides a wave of popularity
The quirky crime procedural keeps building on its loyal fan base and now its spinoff, 'NCIS: Los Angeles,' looks to be basking in the ratings love.
By Maria Elena Fernandez
October 20, 2009
Even though Robi Boscarino lives a world away, the 17-year-old Australian still manages to tune into CBS' "NCIS" seven nights a week. Earlier this month, the Perth resident visited the hit crime procedural's sound stages in Valencia and caught his favorite character, DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), in action.
"Back home, everybody likes him," said Boscarino, who has Hodgkin's lymphoma and whose big dream to visit the set was made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "He's one of the most popular TV actors, for sure. This is more than I expected, to be honest. I didn't expect him to be like he is in the character. He's very funny."
Boscarino is one of millions around the globe who has helped make the special agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service household names in such far-off places as France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden. And it seems like the United States has finally, and officially, caught on by making the show -- and its new spinoff "NCIS: Los Angeles" -- among the top scripted shows in prime time. Its seasonal averages, especially for an aging show and a newcomer that air back-to-back on a Tuesday night, are eye-popping: "NCIS" boasts 21 million, while "NCIS: Los Angeles" claims a robust 18 million.
"There are psychics all over town going, 'Didn't see that coming! Hard to call,' " Weatherly joked in his trailer, while eating a slice of cold pizza. "But it's a great feeling. It's like those movies about the racehorse that's not supposed to be -- we weren't bred in some Kentucky barn of some billionaire who has Arabian stallions. We're just a plow horse. But we run fast! It's one of those stories."
To be sure, "NCIS," a spinoff of "JAG," has never been a dud. The Navy crimes procedural premiered in 2003 and finished in 26th place its first year with 11.8 million viewers. The audience grew steadily, ranking in the top 20 during seasons 3, 4, and 5 -- standing strong against the mighty "American Idol" -- until it pushed ahead to fifth place last season, encouraging CBS executives to launch a spinoff. That new series is way ahead of the pack, even surpassing the success of "The Mentalist" last season.
"There's a saying we have, 'There's no happiness in this business, just relief,' " said CBS President of Entertainment Nina Tassler. "Let's just say I was extremely relieved when the first week's numbers came in."
Chris O' Donnell, who costars in "NCIS: Los Angeles" with LL Cool J, said he was not surprised by the growth of the original series, which introduced his show in the last two episodes of last season.
"After we did those two episodes last year, people obviously saw me in it and I was overwhelmed all summer by all the people who kept coming up to me and saying, 'I love that show. It's the only show I never miss," he said. "We've been very fortunate benefactors of being in a time slot right behind them and also to be given the original framework of the original show."
But as loyal as the "NCIS" fan base has been, the older-skewing series has never been a water cooler show among TV critics. Its median age is 56.6, though this season the drama also boasts a 28% boost in 18-to-49-year-old viewers, due, in part, to the success of the series in syndication on USA. "NCIS" is winning its time slot and ranks ninth among shows in that advertiser-coveted demographic this season.
"I think they're definitely pulling in a younger audience now because I know 14-year-olds and 15-year-olds that watch it," said 21-year-old Jennifer Scott, of Clifton, N.J., who discovered the show on USA. "For me, the main thing is the dynamic between the team members. They have this bond that is unbreakable. They're always there for each other no matter if it's good, bad, happy or sad."
When the Mark Harmon-led series launched, many fans were struck by the lightness in tone for a crime procedural. Margaret Walsh, 45, who moderates a fan site of 6,000 members from her home in Australia, still remembers the exchange that grabbed her in the pilot: "NCIS: Is that anything like CSI?" "Only if you're dyslexic."
"We're a very strange little show," agrees Weatherly, referring to its blend of mystery, romance, action and humor. "There's a real '80s and even '70s throwback feeling. You get a kind of 'Barney Miller' feel with it. It's not quite so grim and static and monotone and dour as a lot of crime shows."
Weatherly has a lot to do with that -- he likes to improvise. The actor and "NCIS" co-creator Don Bellisario (who was forced out after the fourth season) battled for much of the first season over Weatherly's penchant for ad libbing until Bellisario found himself admitting that it worked for the character.
"In a scene like this, he's a dream because he's fast and everything he adds makes it better," said executive producer Steven D. Binder during the filming of the no-power scene in Abby's lab. "But in other scenes, where there's a lot of exposition and information that the audience needs to know, not so much. It's never boring, I can tell you that."
Executive producer Shane Brennan, who runs both "NCIS" shows, says he knows that humor is an element fans of the franchise expect, so if his actors can make scenes funnier, he encourages it. CBS sent Brennan milk and cookies this month when the network ordered a full season of the spinoff. Asked when he thinks CBS will ask for another spinoff, Brennan didn't miss a beat.
"What time is it?" he said.
Then he added: "Everything that is happening is remarkable but it's probably more remarkable to people who haven't watched the show. I'm just so pleased for the people who have spent the last six years telling their friends and neighbors, 'You gotta watch this show. You gotta watch this show.' And finally everyone is and they're in the position of being able to say, 'I told you so.' "
Aw phooey! I missed the Round Robin -- Aria (who still occasionally longs for the good ol days), 20:52:36 10/27/09 Tue [4]
too bad... hope someone finds out something about the Ducky board soon too... Anyway - just dropping by because I was missing Maeves actually (I thought of "Sven and Jorgan Ate My Post" and thus I ended up here, since the Ducky board or C's crazy board would be my normal place when I think of Maeve's, but I didn't take the time to go find the link, lol =D Its sad though - nothing comes up on google for SAJAMP anymore... so SVEN AND JORGAN ATE MY POST (except they didn't - but here's hoping maybe it will be back in google at least briefly =D
Hey everyone -- Becki, 11:40:06 10/26/09 Mon [4]
Sorry I haven't been around in a while. I just got a job last week and my hours are 4 am to 9 am or later. I work for Target and I stick the shelves and stuff. I will try to get back on here more on my days off. So how is everyone, and I hope everyone is good? Take care.
My opinion so far -- Becki, 22:16:54 10/06/09 Tue [3]
Well I like the season so far, just don't like they way the are handling Ziva on the show. I wish there were more action sences with her. I know she just came back and all, but they need to get over it, and get back to business.
I just found out that the same actor who played Gibb's dad will be playing Booth's dad on Bones..........so I guess that makes Gibbs Booth's uncle??? -- LadyC.............sounds like a good scenerio for a fan fic., 19:45:45 10/04/09 Sun [2]
NCIS Starts Tomorrow!!! -- Jennifer, 07:37:10 09/21/09 Mon [13]
Well I'm so excited for tomorrow!! =] I feel like I've been waiting a lifetime just to see it. lol. Everyone who is anyone knows not to bother me starting at about 7:30 b/c I will be getting myself ready (drink, weekly bowl of icecream, etc)... haha!
I don't know where this season is going to go, but I'm willing to guess. As for Tony being in the chair Ziva was in... that I'm kinda clueless. I don't know if he got captured or put himself in the predictment on purpose. Unsure about that yet. The only thing I know for sure is that Ziva will be back (& a changed woman too). I'm hoping this season Ziva & Tony get together b/c they have great passion. Even after what happened with Michael I think Ziva knows in her heart she feels for Tony. Gahh... my stomach is flip-flopping just thinking about it. What does anyone else think about what will happen this season?
O.. and did anyone see the commercial where the NCIS: Los Angeles guys were following Abby? I thought it was pretty cute, and I totally love Abby so that probably helped. =]
Question about CBS website -- Becki, 08:33:32 09/29/09 Tue [1]
Does anyone know why the cbs website for ncis has not been updated. I mean the new episode is on tonight, but the website should have been updated with a little info on the new episode. Any info would be greatfull.
Mark Harmon smacking everyone in the head -- Linda Sunseri, 20:22:09 08/28/09 Fri [4]
I watch NCIS nearly every night. I love the show and all
of the cast members, and the stories. What I do not like
is when Mark Harmon (Gibbs) smacks someone in the head.
It is not funny, it is degrading and it makes Gibbs look
stupid. I think I am so sensitive about this because I have
brain cancer and things hitting my head makes me very
uncomfortable. Also, I think it could be dangerous, for
example Natasha Richardson taking that fall that triggered
something in her head and killed her. Not a good idea. Please stop doing this. Thank you.
NCIS on The Early Show (CBS) Tuesday 9/22! Set your DVR's ---oh, yeah and today is DJE's birthday. ("Teflon" Harm) -- Lady C, 07:39:26 09/21/09 Mon [3]
Hey everyone -- Becki, 21:15:03 07/12/09 Sun [13]
hi eveyone on the board. I have been on vacation, so what's been going on. How has everyone been? WHats new, if anything?
Did ya notice?.. in the early part of tonights ep Gibb's eys looked a bit blood shot and later in tht last scene with Vance, Vance's right eye looked awfully red (in the white part)..wonder if there is any connection. -- LadyC....., 21:05:21 09/15/09 Tue [3]
Did ya notice?.. in the early part of tonights ep Gibb's eys looked a bit bolld shot and later in tht last scene with Vance, Vance's right eye looked awfully red (in the white part)..wonder if there is any connection. -- LadyC....., 21:04:10 09/15/09 Tue [1]
Hey all -- Becki, 20:46:23 08/31/09 Mon [2]
Hi everyone I am back. My computer has been down for a while, I just got it working again. So is there anything I have missed? Can't wait for the new season, just a few weeks away or so. So what is new with everyone?
I was watching the season 3 eps of West Wing---when MH played the secret service guy assigned to protect CJ. The character was so much like Gibbs in his single mindedness about what he was there to do. I wonder if it was what caused TPTB to consider him for the role of Gibbs -- LadyC....., 19:56:57 07/18/09 Sat [9]
Okay So I'm uber bored so I thought maybe we could play a game. McGee Mystery ( AKA Round Robin) Here's how it's works( for noobs) Anyone can play it's a story that goes in sequence from the alphabet ( so Each person writes and contributes to the story . The first sentence/post has to start with the letter .... A then 2nd sentence/post B then 3rd C and so on) So let's Play! I'll start the story...... -- gOthgiRL†, 16:40:56 07/24/09 Fri [24]
It's cloudy outside. A storm is coming in and it's beginning to pelt rain on the front windshield of the car as Ziva speeds through traffic.
"Slow down, Ziva!" McGee yells nervously from the passengers seat, as he holds onto the dashboard. " You're gonna get us killed before we even get there."
"If I drive any slower McGee, all of the evidence will be washed away from the rain before we get there!" She explains.
"Fine" he flinches," .....just watch the road." He grabs the dashboard tighter as she weaves in and out of traffic.
(***** okay now the next sentence/post should start with the letter A. So who ever wants to continue the story can! Yay!)
Captcha enabled -- KatRose, 15:39:51 08/10/09 Mon [3]
Due to the prolific spamming we've encountered recently, I've enabled the captcha option here at the board. I know it's a pain-in-the-backside, but it's the best I can do for now.
Hope it doesn't deter any of the NCIS fans from posting.
OT question.........How does someone benefit from Spamming the board??? What is the friggin' point? Like any regular poster here is gonna click on those spam links anyway. .......Just wondering because spammers seem to really be active on this board. -- gOthgiRL†, 13:35:07 07/26/09 Sun [5]
News Tid-Bit from TV Guide.com -- LadyC, 20:35:22 06/17/09 Wed [3]
I only have one question about the NCIS finale: Is Cote de Pablo returning to the show next season? — B.C.
MATT: Why, did it look like Ziva was on death's doorstep in that secretly filmed torture scene? If so, think back to what NCIS boss Shane Brennan said about that grim cliff-hanger: Come September, "all will be revealed and you will be surprised. It will come at you from left field." (But, in a word: Yes. Sources whisper to me that Cote will be back.) Bonus buzzlet: Season 6 arrives on DVD Aug. 25!
Did anyone see the "Impact" miniseries part one last night? DJE from Jag and Steven Culp (Clayton Webb on Jag) were in it and there were several Stargate Alumi too -- LadyC, 19:39:07 06/22/09 Mon [4]
'NCIS: LA' on Hunt for good woman -- KatRose, 10:06:08 06/19/09 Fri [6]
Daily Variety
June 19, 2009
'NCIS: LA' on Hunt for good woman
by Nelli Andreeva
Oscar winner Linda Hunt has joined CBS' new drama series "NCIS: LA" as a regular.
The veteran actress will fill the void left by the departure of Louise Lombard, who co-starred in the pilot of the procedural toplined by LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell. The series is set at the Office of Special Projects, a division of NCIS charged with the apprehending dangerous and elusive criminals who pose a threat to national security.
The switch is not a direct recasting sa Hunt will play a new character on the CBS Studios-produced series, a spinoff of its hit "NCIS."
Hunt's character oversees the "backroom" support staff in charge of providing everything from micro-surveillance cameras to cars for Callen (O'Donnell) and his team. Efficient, hard-nosed and resourceful after years of being a Miss Fix-It in the film industry, she seems tough but genuinely cares about Callen and his men.
In the pilot, Lombard played a major in the military police-turned-investigator.
WME-repped Hunt, who won an Oscar for "The Year of Living Dangerously," recently recurred on CBS' "Without a Trace." She had recurring roles on "The Practice" and "Carnivale."
I have a question -- Becki, 07:28:17 06/20/09 Sat [1]
I read some where that cast member who were on JAG cannot be on NCIS. I was wondering how true that is, because I have seen cast member from JAG on NCIS. I am just curious cause I would like to see other cast member from JAG on the show to. Thanks a head of time for all your help.
USA to air NCIS Spinoff -- KatRose, 17:52:50 06/17/09 Wed [1]
Daily Variety
June 17, 2009
Congloms making nice for 'NCIS'
NBC U to assist CBS in launch of show spinoff
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
In another case of TV making for strange bedfellows, NBC Universal will assist CBS in launching the Eye's upcoming "NCIS" spinoff.
USA has struck a deal with CBS to air the two "NCIS" episodes from this past season that set the stage for this fall's newcomer "NCIS: Los Angeles."
USA already carries reruns of "NCIS," currently the top-rated off-net series on cable.
The two "NCIS" episodes featuring "NCIS: Los Angeles" stars Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J run Friday on USA.
Normally, episodes from the just-ended season's run of "NCIS" wouldn't be available so quickly -- but the Eye saw a marketing opportunity by advancing the segs to USA. The cabler was happy to help CBS market the spinoff in exchange for an early crack at the episodes.
Such a quid pro quo is in stark contrast to last month's brutal back-and-forth between the Peacock and the Eye over "Medium." After both sides failed to come to a deal for the show -- NBC wanted fewer episodes than what CBS TV Studios was looking to produce -- the Peacock wound up canceling the show.
In dropping "Medium," NBC execs dismissed the show's performance -- leading CBS TV Studios to send out an unusual press release condemning the Peacock for dumping the series.
But ultimately, a conglom feud of this sort can go only so far. With the congloms in business with each other on many different fronts, it's no surprise that, a month later, two different divisions of NBC Universal and CBS Corp. are playing nice.
NCIS Marathon -- Becki, 12:52:41 06/10/09 Wed [3]
If you all haven't heard yet. USA is host a NCIS marathon on a fave Goth girl. Hope you all will watch. I know I will be watching it. Have a great day everyone.
Big time OMG! Was watching the CBS Sunday morning program and they were doing a piece on Elton John. At one point they showed a photo of his dad.............Michael Wetherly (Tony) is his doppleganger...his spitting image! -- LadyC, 07:14:07 06/07/09 Sun [5]
NCIS -- Isaura Velez, 18:46:08 05/20/09 Wed [6]
First CBS took JAG off the air and replaced with NCIS which happens to be a great show. Now if they take "Gibbs" I am not watching the show anymore. I am a retiree from the Federal Gov and worked all my career with military people - so that is why I loved those two shows.
New to the Forum -- Jennifer, 10:07:22 06/01/09 Mon [5]
Hi all! I've been an NCIS fan since the very first season! People tell me I'm overly obsessed and I guess I see where they are coming from. I get all into the episodes, can't miss one, don't talk to me when I'm watching one, I cry & laugh... its like they are family since I've been watching it so long. Anyway I came across this forum and thought I'd introduce myself & try to make some friends! You can email me at j_scott8707@yahoo.com if you'd like to chat or just reply on here. Thanks!
New to the this page -- Becki, 06:27:33 05/28/09 Thu [5]
I just found this page. I have been a fan of NCIS from the beginning. Can't believe I didn't find this page sooner. Just wanted to say hi, and I hope to be a regular on this board.
Last Night's ep -- KatRose, 10:56:38 05/13/09 Wed [2]
What did you think of the Tony-Ziva-Michael interaction? Do you think the ICE agent is/was involved in the eavesdropping at SecNav's house? What do you think will happen to Tony as a result of the shooting?
I'm eagerly awaiting the season finale to see how this all is (partially) wrapped up.
Buzz on NCIS from TV Guide -- LadyC, 17:58:05 04/22/09 Wed [3]
We've been teased big happenings with NCIS' Tony and Ziva, and I'm all for that, but need I be worrying so much? — Kate
MATT: I finally got NCIS boss Shane Brennan to dish on "Tiva," and it looks like you might be left to fret all summer long. He told me, "What happens over these next episodes is an evolution of their relationship — though perhaps more extreme than you would get in your normal [workplace]. These people do carry guns!" Then, in the wake of specific events of the May 19 season-ender, he said, "It's up to the audience to decide, and they will over the summer, what might happen [next]. But everything has a life, and eventually things end." Listen very carefully to Brennan's coda here: "Now, if you think I just said that Tiva's going to end, I didn't."
I've heard that Heroes' Volume 4 ends with a major death. Any tease? — Eric
is this show being cancelled -- kathie, 05:54:16 04/21/09 Tue [2]
is the show being cancelled? i did not hear that but i am reading some things about a spin off? is this true
I thought this weeks eppy was good! I really like the ending where Abby made Palmer, McGee and Tony clean up her lab. And the "Abby's lab for dummies book" was funny! They probably should have read it before they started doing anything! LOL!!!! -- gOthgiRL†, 15:33:57 04/10/09 Fri [1]
A Holiday Round Robin...continue the poem using our favorite characters and stuff from their lives -- LadyC , 18:49:54 12/14/08 Sun [5]
Twas the night before Christmas,
when down in the garage,
Jetho was working on a boat
that was not very large
Sort of off topic--has anybody noticed how much Catherine Bell (Col. McKenzie on Jag) has been showing up on TV lately? In the past week or week and a half I have seen her in at least 3 different programs/movies. -- Lady C, 17:47:55 02/07/09 Sat [2]
Hey Kat, I sent you an email a few days ago and just remembered you have really strong spam blockers......did you receive it? Was a scan of a newspaper article about DPB -- Lady C, 18:50:30 03/11/09 Wed [3]
What's your favorite episode? More than one? One of my fav's is Call of Silence..an 80+ yr old comes into NCIS headquarters and says he murdered someone...60 years ago. Charles Durning plays Ernie Yost. Mr Durning has an incredible record himself for his service in WWII, and maybe he brought some of hs memories of that time to the role. I just know that every time this ep plays I sit through the whole thing -- LadyC, 20:16:47 02/16/09 Mon [4]
In one of the first episodes that McGee was in, he spent the night at Abby's... When he found out he slept in a coffen, Abby stated, "That is not the only thing you did in a coffen." I just caught this line, so suspicion goes on about those two, Did they do something or not. -- Alan, 00:08:40 02/25/09 Wed [2]
NCIS Spinoff -- KatRose, 10:25:34 02/17/09 Tue [2]
I read this in today's Hollywood Reporter:
Three leads cast in 'NCIS' spinoff
Louise Lombard, Peter Cambor, Daniela Ruah join
By Nellie Andreeva
The team of naval investigators on the "NCIS" spinoff is coming into focus.
Louise Lombard, Peter Cambor and Daniela Ruah have been cast as leads in the hot CBS/CBS Par pilot, which will air as an episode of "NCIS" in the spring, just as the pilot for "NCIS" aired as an episode of "JAG."
The three would join Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J, who are still in negotiations for the other two leads in the spinoff.
Lombard will play Clara, a role perceived as the female lead on the ensemble drama. A former major in the military police, Clara is an intelligent, sharp investigator who can look after herself.
Cambor ("Notes From the Underbelly") will play the quick-witted Nate, the team's conscience and beating heart. Nate is an operational psychologist and a walking encyclopedia of American culture.
Ruah will play Kensi, a super bright young investigator who studied forensics and criminology in college.
Brit Lombard is joining the "NCIS" franchise after a stint on another hit CBS crime procedural, "CSI," where she played Detective Sofia Curtis for three years.
She also played the title lead in the ABC pilor "Judy Got a Gun."
Lombard is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment and U.K.'s United Agents.
Mark Harmon on NCIS -- Stephen D. Wilson, 17:02:32 02/22/09 Sun [1]
Does Mark Harmon receive extra money for showing a Starbuck coffee cup? Dose he really drink Starbuck Coffee?
From the TV Guide newsletter I get---Any scoop on NCIS' Tony DiNozzo? Out of all the characters, I think we have the least back story on him! — Akhila -- LadyC, 16:30:54 01/28/09 Wed [3]
MATT: That tide is about to change, Akhila. "Tony fans are in for an exciting season finale — poignant, sad and shocking!" exec producer Shane Brennan tells the Buzz. "But before then, in an episode called 'Knockout,' we'll learn more intriguing details about Tony's recent past." It's like Christmas-come-late, am I right?
Pretty good ep last night. Abby sounded so much like Jenny when she was talking to Palmer at the hospital. and the bit with McGee and all his old computers......reminded me of how many different ones I have had over the years...> -- Lady C, 18:10:00 01/14/09 Wed [1]
New Year's Resolutions... What resolutions would the team members make and how likely would they be to follow thru? -- Lady C, 16:03:01 01/04/09 Sun [3]
From the TV Guide Site: Is Ziva's father going to make a return on NCIS this season? — Morgan -- LadyC, 19:43:26 12/03/08 Wed [2]
Matt: My moles at the CBS hit may be tight-lipped about the Ziva-Tony romance (a very popular topic in the Buzz box), but on this matter they did let slip some intel: Eli David, played by Michael "What a Feeling" Nouri, will be seen again, and possibly before the end of this season.
From the Los Angeles Times -- KatRose, 21:20:46 11/30/08 Sun [2]
From the Los Angeles Times
THE MONITOR
'NCIS' has something for everybody
The long-running CBS hit's formula is simple: Assemble a crack acting team, pair them with compelling and varied characters, and then keep the story lines smart and snappy.
By Darby Romeo
November 30, 2008
While seemingly lost in the murk of acronym-titled, murder-of-the-week television series, "NCIS" is more than a formulaic crime drama featuring a team of experts investigating yet another dead body.
Though the title lends itself to unwarranted confusion as a "CSI" clone, anyone who's watched the CBS show knows that's just not the case -- the "Naval Criminal Investigative Service" deals with all major criminal offenses associated with U.S. Navy and Marines, not solely deaths where body parts and other remains are left to be scraped up and examined by sexy lab workers. And while the "NCIS" actors are not unsexy by any means, their standout features are more in the realm of sassy, high-IQ geek.
The actors have much to do with making it all come together and keep it from wallowing as B-grade fair. First and foremost, there's Pauley Perrette as Abby Sciuto. Perrette doesn't just look the part (peppy-Goth soda addict with an eclectic style and technical forensic talents), she embodies the persona.
"I have a lifelong crime obsession," Pauley admitted on "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson." A sociology, psychology and criminal science major, she'd started work on her master's degree before being sidetracked by an acting career that made her the forensic specialist she apparently had been destined to become.
Her unconditional love for her team members is the glue that holds them together. In real life, the love goes global via her grrl groupies, who fill the forums with questions about where they can find -- among other things -- the pants, miniskirt or shirt the former lead singer of the L.A.-based, all-girl punk band Lo-Ball wore in the last episode.
Abby has a close relationship with her father-figure boss, the sternly private Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (the older-than-he-looks Mark Harmon). He is the cranky, guarded central character around whom his team of younger, more whimsical counterparts revolve. (Though regressively aging actress Lauren Holly, as his superior, played an equally serious, almost stodgy role -- that is until she was abruptly gunned down last season. Like "The Sopranos," the show's writers aren't afraid to unexpectedly kill off some of its leads without any foreshadowing.)
In bantering about the origins of Gibbs, Michael Weatherly's character, Tony DiNozzo, speculates that he was "sent to be the left hand of Yahweh; he was grown in a cabbage patch." In one of the slowest reveals on TV, the audience gets only sporadic glimpses of Gibbs' biography and why he's such a lovable grouch.
The not-bad-to-look-at Weatherly adds comic relief with his flirting with women, the recitation of movie minu- tia and getting smacked by Gibbs for sophomoric commentary.
DiNozzo has made statements like, "I've got a better chance of hooking up with Jessica Alba than these guys do of infiltrating SeaLift" -- a crack made even more humorous if you know that Weatherly's previous role was as the "Dark Angel" costar of his onetime real-life fiancée Alba.
Anime geeks claim Ziva David as their ultimate Israeli warrior princess. Played by Chilean-born actress Cote de Pablo, she was introduced in the third season as an elite assassin joining the squad under somewhat suspicious circumstances. Ziva is the cliché potential unrequited love interest for DiNozzo. Her gag: an idiosyncratic slaughter of American sayings -- "Mind if I take a bat nap?" -- otherwise referred to as Ziva-isms.
Devotees consider her fearlessness as appealing as her exotic looks. Usually dressed down in combat boots, cargo pants and sweaters, Cote earned many drool-laden points in this season's premiere wearing a dangerously low- backed dress while singing (yes, in her own voice) a rendition of Diana Krall's take on Tom Waits' "Temptation" -- now what's not hip about that?
As Stephen King once wrote: "There can be a big difference between what you think is great and what you actually like."
"NCIS" won't blow your mind, but when you want to chill out in your big recliner and take a load off, the show is a worthy prime-time choice.
Looks like Gibbs was in his own fight club! Wonder what happened?? A run in with an ex-wife? A planer gone mad at home? Boy, those other guys took a really beating by way of the makeup folks-nice job, icky, but nice job. -- Frances, 03:05:48 12/03/08 Wed [2]
Does Ziva have a child???? Her reactions seems interesting, and she could have left a child at home, or sadly, the child might have died. What with that whole "we all have secrets" discussion with DiNozzo. HMMMM.... What do you alll think? -- Frances, 03:04:06 11/26/08 Wed [2]
I thought tonight's Eppy was really good. I knew Abby was in on it and it was funny to see McGee and DiNozzo both run into her lab door and hit their noses! LOL!! I was actually surprised that Ducky was in on it, I thought Gibbs was trying to keep from involving Ducky altogether.
I still don't know what to think about Agent Lee and I'm still suspicious of Palmer........there is just something weird there.......but maybe that's just me thinking too much.
I wasn't shocked about Agent Lee having a daughter. I read somewhere that someone had gone on a tour to NCIS and met the girl who plays Agent Lee's daughter so.......no big shocker there.
Ooooh and what's up with the " I'm done pretending" between Ziva and Tony?? and then the writers just left us hangin'! Waiting for the Next episode! -- gOthgiRL†, 00:29:46 11/19/08 Wed [2]
From the TV Guide newsletter: Is Pauley Perrette (Abby) leaving NCIS? Please say it ain't so. — Brian -- TV Junkie Mom, 18:43:44 11/19/08 Wed [1]
MATT: Oh, it very much ain't so. In fact, my best NCIS mole dismissed your question as both "strange" and "out of left field." But to thank you nonetheless for playing, I offer this: Watch for General Hospital to collide with Dynasty in the red-hot show's Dec. 2 episode, when Antonio Sabato Jr. and Tracy Scoggins play husband/lawyer and wife/client.
Does anyone have any theories as to who Agent Lee is working with?
For some reason I really think she is working with Palmer! I think he is the perfect person to overlook! To be right under their noses even when Ducky is profiling people on a regular basis and everything......it would be a crazy perfect twist! Just my theory.... What's yours? -- gOthgiRL†, 02:36:42 11/15/08 Sat [5]
How does CBS spell success? 'NCIS'
The long-running series has one of television's most loyal audiences, but it's had to survive a few crises along the way.
By Scott Collins
November 17, 2008
By spring 2007, the CBS drama “NCIS” looked to have run out of luck.
The show, about a team of special agents who investigate Navy crimes, had become a stalwart of the CBS lineup, even though it never attracted the media buzz enjoyed by many far less popular shows. But a poisonous rift with star Mark Harmon led to the sudden and unceremonious departure of co-creator Don Bellisario, who happens to be one of the most successful producers in TV history (his credits include "Magnum, P.I." and "Quantum Leap"). For a series that was then winding up its fourth season, such a development seemed destined to hasten a creative and ratings decline.
Miraculously, that didn't happen. "NCIS" has come back stronger and on Tuesday reached its largest audience ever, with 18.8 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. This season, only " CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Dancing With the Stars" have bigger audiences.
Although most hits begin to fade by their sixth season, "NCIS" is seeing new growth -- and doing so amid a very tough market for network series in general. "We've had changes in front of the camera, behind the camera," Harmon told me in a phone interview last week. "And if you look at the result, I think in all cases we've gotten better."
If the producers could figure out a way to bottle their secrets and hawk them on studio lots, they could probably retire now and maybe fund their kids' retirements too. But "NCIS" is one of those go-figure success stories. All sorts of theories -- we'll get to them in a minute -- profess to explain why the show has kept growing.
Yet what seems maybe more intriguing are the counter-arguments, all the reasons "NCIS" shouldn't work as well it does.
Which are: The media try very hard to ignore the show. Producers realize it doesn't perform as well in New York and Los Angeles as it does in smaller markets, perhaps because the series started as a spinoff of "JAG," a popular CBS military crime drama (and Bellisario creation) that some critics found jingoistic. Harmon and the producers insist "NCIS" isn't just a procedural, but the crime-solving element is still at the heart of every episode, and network TV is drowning in crime shows. "NCIS" has seen a parade of cast changes, moreover, including abrupt exits by costars Sasha Alexander (whose character was felled by a sniper's bullet at the end of Season 2) and Lauren Holly (dispatched in a gun battle in the fifth-season finale).
And then there's the competition. Between January and May, "NCIS" airs opposite Fox's " American Idol," the No. 1 show on television. That type of scheduling could give any drama a ready excuse for failure.
But looked at more closely, "NCIS' " rise becomes easier to understand. For one thing, the series has bucked TV's trend toward serialized storytelling, which, though popular with hard-core fans and many critics, requires more dedication from viewers and has almost certainly tamped down ratings for many shows.
"NCIS" "probably has not lost many of its core viewers over time," Steve Sternberg, an executive vice president at New York-based ad firm Magna, wrote in an e-mail. "There is a small central cast and close-ended story lines. This makes it easier for new viewers to tune in and figure out what's going on."
Also, the producers have spent more time the last two seasons filling in gaps in the characters' personal lives. One episode last month showed Harmon's special agent, Leroy Gibbs, traveling back to his hometown to meet his aging father (Ralph Waite).
"Early on, it was kind of a show that moved very fast and had quick editing and a sort of staccato pace," said executive producer Charles Johnson. "I think in the last year or two, we've slowed it down and went, 'OK, we still like to break barriers in how we edit the show and all. But we also want to try and get you to know these people a little better.' "
Added executive producer Shane Brennan: "I don't think it's a bad thing, particularly in Season 6 of a show, to reinvent the characters a little."
But certainly another key to the endurance of "NCIS" lies in what happened at the end of Season 4, when news of a feud between Harmon and Bellisario began leaking into the media. Stories said Harmon felt Bellisario's management style was chaotic and led to overly long production days.
That is not quite how Bellisario saw it. Reached at his office on the CBS lot, the veteran producer said that during fourth-season production, "I asked Mark to re-shoot a scene. He redid it exactly the same way he did it the first time and never spoke to me again." He blamed Harmon and his handlers for a "full-blown PR campaign" of anonymous leaks about allegedly bad on-set working conditions.
According to Bellisario, CBS soon told him it wanted him to quit "NCIS" and work on developing something else. To date, he hasn't developed another show, he said.
He now speaks of "NCIS" with an odd mixture of pride, regret and anger. "I do wish it hadn't ended the way it did," Bellisario said. His name remains on "NCIS" as co-creator and executive producer, but he has zero day-to-day involvement with the show.
Harmon sees that as a change for the better. "If we're working 14-hour days now instead of the 17- or 18-hour days that we were doing, it doesn't mean we're working any less hard," the actor said. "We're just more organized. . . . This has become a very well-oiled machine."
He added: "I don't wish to go head to head with Bellisario in the press. . . . He knows why he left."
Feuds between producers and talent are nothing new, of course, but how they are resolved can ultimately spell the difference between success and failure. In the case of "NCIS," CBS not only sided with its star, it also chose a course that promised the most stability for a show that had turned into an important asset. Brennan and Johnson had both spent years working alongside Bellisario. With the new pair taking over, the series could keep its star and not miss a beat. Unfortunately, Bellisario became collateral damage. But CBS understood that its audience -- the oldest in TV -- was not eager to see more drastic creative upheavals. And given how "NCIS" has thrived since that time, it's clear that, in terms of pure survival, network executives' instincts were correct, even if justice was not necessarily meted out.
Now the producers see very few limits on the show's longevity and are pushing for a run that would give it a permanent place in network history.
As Brennan put it, even in these days of fragmented audiences and lowered expectations, "there's no reason why a show can't run for 10 or 15 years."
The Channel Island column runs every Monday in Calendar. Contact Scott Collins at scott.collins @latimes.com
NCIS vs JAG -- Alan, 22:11:30 11/11/08 Tue [4]
The only thing that NCIS and JAG really have in common is they both take place around the Navy and the Marine Corps and it seems to stop there. The fact that Donald Bellisario is the creator and excutive producer for both shows (even though they have differnt writers)seems to be showing really badly in the way both shows are being played out.
JAG everyone except Admiral A. J. Chegwidden (best to my memory) had been put on trial or investigated for some kind of crime.
Lets fast forward it to NCIS at this point the story line has run its course yet again, Tony for murder, McGee when he shot the off duty police officer (normal evryday line of work to be investigated in any shooting)and he keep information form Gibbs about his sister (this could land you out off a job and criminal charges brought against you), Ziva when the dignitaries were killed, Shepard when Frog was killed, and know Abby in next weeks show for possible treason.
I love both shows and I will watch both shows, but JAG is gone lets start writting a show that belongs to NCIS. I know this is Hollywood, but I am involved in local Law Enforcement, I know people who work for the FBI and NCIS. Small investigations take place everyday and citizan complaints come in everyday that are, "Looked into," but the crimes that the people have been put through in both shows would land you out of job and the team being broke up before you knew what happened.
I guess what I am asking is lets keep JAG JAG and keep NCIS NCIS. The Hollywood can stay though.
ummm repeats so early? -- Eric Francis, 09:35:03 10/28/09 Wed
I think.... -- Jennifer, 10:29:11 10/08/09 Thu
Sooo exciting! -- Jennifer, 18:20:04 09/22/09 Tue
Mark Harmon smacking everyone in the head -- Linda Sunseri, 20:22:09 08/28/09 Fri [4] 
...
...
Six Weeks, Six Weeks........they will be the longest weeks! (NT) -- LadyC...........
, 16:37:36 08/11/09 Tue
, 18:11:45 09/09/09 Wed [1] 
, 19:56:57 07/18/09 Sat [9] 
, 20:43:00 07/22/09 Wed
HAPPY B'DAY Becki 
(NT) -- LadyC, 19:35:40 06/21/09 Sun
(NT) -- gOthgiRL†, 16:23:48 06/19/09 Fri
NCIS facts -- Katy, 13:43:06 06/11/09 Thu [9] 
(NT) -- gOthgiRL†, 17:36:23 06/11/09 Thu
(NT) -- gOthgiRL†, 16:42:38 06/13/09 Sat
NCIS Marathon -- Becki, 12:52:41 06/10/09 Wed [3] 
Big time OMG! 
Was watching the CBS Sunday morning program and they were doing a piece on Elton John. At one point they showed a photo of his dad.............Michael Wetherly (Tony) is his doppleganger...his spitting image! -- LadyC, 07:14:07 06/07/09 Sun [5] 
is this show being cancelled -- kathie, 05:54:16 04/21/09 Tue [2] 
, 18:49:54 12/14/08 Sun [5] 
, 00:29:46 11/19/08 Wed [2]