NCIS

NCIS
Genre	Police procedural Drama
Created by	Donald P. Bellisario Don McGill
Starring	Mark Harmon Sasha Alexander Michael Weatherly Pauley Perrette David McCallum Sean Murray Cote de Pablo Lauren Holly Rocky Carroll
Theme music composer	Numeriklab
Opening theme	NCIS Theme
Ending theme	NCIS Theme
Composer(s)	Brian Kirk
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	9
No. of episodes	200 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Shane Brennan Donald P. Bellisario Chas. Floyd Johnson Gary Glasberg Mark Horowitz Mark Harmon Frank Cardea George Schenck
Producer(s)	David Bellisario Avery C. Drewe
Cinematography	Billy Webb
Running time	42–44 minutes
Production company(s)	Belisarius Productions Paramount Television (2003–06) CBS Paramount Television (2006–09) CBS Television Studios (2009–present)
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Original run	September 23, 2003 (2003-09-23) – present
Chronology
Related shows	JAG NCIS: Los Angeles
External links
Official website

NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

The concept and characters were initially introduced in a two-part episode of the CBS series JAG (JAG episodes 8.20 and 8.21). The show, a spin-off from JAG, premiered on September 23, 2003 on CBS and, to date, has aired eight full seasons and has gone into syndicated reruns on USA Network, Cloo (formerly Sleuth), and Ion Television. Donald Bellisario, who created JAG as well as the well-known series Airwolf, Magnum, P.I., and Quantum Leap, is co-creator and executive producer of NCIS.

NCIS was originally referred to as Navy NCIS during Season 1; however, the word "Navy" was later dropped from the title as it was redundant. NCIS was joined in its seventh season by a spin-off series, NCIS: Los Angeles, starring Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J.

On February 3, 2011, NCIS was renewed by CBS for a ninth season after receiving series-high ratings the night before.^[1][2] That same year, NCIS was voted as America’s favorite television show.^[3]

Premise

NCIS follows a fictional team of Naval Criminal Investigative Service Major Case Response Team (MCRT)^[4] special agents headquartered at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. It is described by the actors and producers (on special features on DVD releases in the United States) as being distinguished by its comedic elements, ensemble acting, and character-driven plots.

NCIS is the primary law enforcement and counter-intelligence arm of the United States Department of the Navy, which includes the United States Marine Corps. NCIS investigates all major criminal offenses (felonies)—i.e., crimes punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice by confinement of more than one year—within the Department of the Navy. The MCRT is frequently assigned to high-profile cases such as the death of the U.S. president's military aide, a bomb situation on a U.S. Navy warship, the death of a celebrity on a reality show set on a USMC base, terrorist threats, and kidnappings.

The MCRT is led by Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). Gibbs’s team is composed of Special Agent and Senior Field Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), and Special Agent (former Mossad liaison officer) Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), who replaced Caitlin "Kate" Todd (Sasha Alexander) when she was shot and killed by rogue Mossad agent Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin) at the end of Season 2. The team is assisted in their investigations by Chief Medical Examiner Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum), his assistant Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), who replaced Gerald Jackson (Pancho Demmings), and Forensic Specialist Abigail "Abby" Sciuto (Pauley Perrette).

It is revealed through flashbacks that the "original" head of the MCRT was Special Agent Mike Franks (Muse Watson), who led the unit when it was part of the Naval Investigative Service (NIS), the predecessor agency of the NCIS. Franks recruited Gibbs shortly after Gibbs' retirement from the Marine Corps, eventually retiring himself some years later. After Franks' departure, Gibbs recruited DiNozzo from the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Section. The two were briefly joined by Vivian Blackadder (Robyn Lively), whom Gibbs recruited from the FBI. In the second part of the NCIS pilot, Blackadder allowed her emotions to nearly derail an anti-terror operation in Spain. Gibbs is noticeably disappointed; Blackadder is not present in the series' first regular episode, replaced by Caitlin Todd, a Secret Service agent who joins Gibbs' team after resigning from the Secret Service. McGee first appears as a Field Agent assigned to the Norfolk Field Office. He uses his computer skills to aid the MCRT in subsequent investigations through the rest of Season 1, until he is officially promoted with his own desk at the Navy Yard in the beginning of Season 2.

NCIS is currently led by Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll). The first director seen in the series, Thomas Morrow (Alan Dale), left after being promoted to Deputy Director of the Department of Homeland Security. Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly) was appointed director after Morrow in the first episode of Season 3. After Shepard was killed in a shootout at the end of Season 5, Vance, who was Assistant Director of NCIS before her death, was seen as Acting Director after her death and was promoted to take her place.

Cast

Note

Main

• Leroy Jethro Gibbs (portrayed by Mark Harmon) is a special agent in charge of the Major Case Response Team. He was a sniper in the United States Marine Corps, achieving the rank of gunnery sergeant, until 1991 when his first wife Shannon and daughter Kelly were killed by a Mexican drug dealer.^[8] Gibbs killed the drug dealer in Mexico, after being told by Special Agent Mike Franks where to find him, and joined NIS, later renamed NCIS, initially training under Franks.^[9] After Franks retirement, Gibbs became the agent in charge of the MCRT. He has been married four times but is currently single, which is often referred to on the show. He also has a difficult relationship with his father. Gibbs and Director Shepard had a romantic relationship in the past, shown through the use of flashbacks. He has a somewhat father-daughter-like relationship with Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto. Due to his senior status at NCIS, he has also carried out tasks at a higher level, such as becoming a temporary acting director for the entire agency.
• Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (portrayed by Michael Weatherly) is the senior field agent of the Major Case Response Team at NCIS. He is a former Peoria, Philadelphia, and Baltimore police officer and detective. After working on a case with Gibbs while he was a detective with Baltimore PD, he discovered his best friend and partner was a dirty cop and quit from the police and joined NCIS in 2001.^[10] Gibbs considers DiNozzo to be a younger version of himself, using his "gut" to solve cases (e.g., in the episode "Collateral Damage").^[11] Considered a notorious womanizer, his behavior even irritates the females he works with, although his behavior has been shown to change as the character developed. He has a strained relationship with his father but due to the amount of cases they have worked together on, their relationship has flourished. DiNozzo is a movie expert and sometimes his expert knowledge can irritate his coworkers but sometimes help them in major cases.
• Ziva David (portrayed by Cote de Pablo) is a special agent of the Major Case Response Team since season seven. For her first four years in the show, she was a part of the NCIS team as a Mossad Liaison Officer. David replaced Special Agent Kate Todd, who was shot and killed by David's half-brother in the season two finale, "Twilight". In the season seven premiere, "Truth or Consequences", David is rescued from North Africa by Gibbs, DiNozzo, and McGee, where she had been held prisoner by terrorists for several months after being captured on a mission she was working on for the Mossad. David eventually returned to the US and resigned from the Mossad, becoming a probationary NCIS agent and a US citizen.
• Abigail "Abby" Sciuto (portrayed by Pauley Perrette) is a forensics specialist working with the NCIS Major Case Response Team. She has an affinity for goth fashion and is addicted to the fictional Caf-Pow, a caffeinated beverage. Gibbs is a father figure to Abby.
• Timothy McGee (portrayed by Sean Murray) is a special agent of the Major Case Response Team. He has a degree in computer forensics from MIT and a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins, and, along with Abby Sciuto (who he has shown to be attracted to at first and is now close to), acts as the team's technology specialist. McGee was originally assigned to the Norfolk Naval Base but became a permanent team member at the end of the season two opening episode, "See No Evil". Often called "Probie" by DiNozzo, despite no longer being a probationary. Under the pseudonym Thom E. Gemcity he is also the author of a best-selling book using characters based on members of the team.
• Leon Vance (portrayed by Rocky Carroll) became the Director of NCIS following Jenny Shepard's death at the end of the season five. He was formerly the NCIS assistant director.
• Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard (portrayed by David McCallum) is the chief medical examiner assigned working at the NCIS headquarters. He spent some time as a medical examiner in Vietnam, Bosnia, and Afghanistan before working for NCIS. He was close friends with Jenny Shepard and is best friends with Gibbs.
• Jenny Shepard (portrayed by Lauren Holly) was director of NCIS for the seasons three to five and formerly Gibbs' partner (and lover). She was killed in the season five finale, "Judgment Day".
• Caitlin "Kate" Todd (portrayed by Sasha Alexander) was a special agent of the Major Case Response Team for seasons one and two. Initially working as a secret service agent, she was offered a job at NCIS by Gibbs who became something of a mentor to her. She was killed in the season two finale, "Twilight", after being shot in the head by double agent Ari Haswari (Ziva David's half-brother).

Recurring

• Jimmy Palmer, portrayed by Brian Dietzen (Seasons 1–present), replaced Gerald Jackson as the assistant to Medical Examiner Dr. Mallard. Although originally credited in a recurring role, Dietzen has been credited as "Also starring" since season six.
• Tobias Fornell, portrayed by Joe Spano (Seasons 1–present), is a senior FBI special agent. He has a daughter with his ex-wife, who was previously married to Gibbs. Gibbs and Fornell have a spiky camaraderie and frequently have meetings in a stalled elevator while pretending to their respective staffs that they are arguing furiously.
• Mike Franks, portrayed by Muse Watson (Seasons 3–8), was a retired special agent with NIS and long-time mentor to Gibbs, whom he still calls Probie. He is also close friends with DiNozzo and Jenny Shepard. He loses his trigger finger in "Rule Fifty-one" but claims that he "can still pull the trigger with [his] thumb." In the season eight episode "Swan Song," he is murdered with a scalpel by Lt. Jonas Cobb, the "Port to Port Killer". In the season 9 episode "Life Before His Eyes" Franks appears as Gibbs' conscience.
• Trent Kort, portrayed by David Dayan Fisher (Seasons 4–present), is an undercover CIA special agent who always seems to have his own devious goals to pursue. Gibbs regards him as very dangerous and does not trust him. While trying to clean up the agency's mess involving the "Port-to-Port Killer ", Lt. Jonas Cobb, he loses his left eye in a fight with Cobb, which Cobb later puts in a drink he secretly ordered for DiNozzo at a bar.
• Eli David, portrayed by Michael Nouri (Seasons 6–present), is the director of the national intelligence agency of Israel, the Mossad. He is also father of both NCIS (and ex-Mossad) Agent Ziva David and rogue Mossad double agent Ari Haswari. Even though David does not support his daughter working at NCIS, he claims he nevertheless loves her. David is close friends with, and mentor to, Director Vance, during Vance's first assignment for NCIS.
• E. J. Barrett, portrayed by Sarah Jane Morris (Season 8–present), is a Special Agent with NCIS and formerly a team leader. She investigated the "Port to Port Killer" case in season eight, disappearing for a year after the conclusion of the case and the deaths of her team members. She reappeared after a year on the run from the "Phantom Eight". She is a love interest of DiNozzo's throughout season eight and part of season nine, and remains good friends with DiNozzo after her reappearance.
• M. Allison Hart, portrayed by Rena Sofer (Season 7), is a hard-charging defense attorney and potential love interest for Gibbs.
• Michelle Lee, portrayed by Liza Lapira (Seasons 4–6), is a special agent with NCIS who is assigned to Special Agent DiNozzo's team at the start of season four, even though she is foremost a lawyer. She is reassigned back to the Legal Department after Gibbs returns, and has recurring appearances throughout the season four. She then returns to Gibbs' team at the end of season five, in "Judgment Day, Part 2", after being suspected as a mole, and is shot by Gibbs in "Dagger" (to hit her captor behind her).
• Hollis Mann, portrayed by Susanna Thompson (Seasons 4–5), is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army assigned to the CID. She later retires but remains a love interest of Gibbs' throughout seasons four and five.
• Jeanne Benoit, portrayed by Scottie Thompson (Seasons 4–5), is a doctor at Monroe University Hospital and daughter of arms dealer René Benoit (also known as La Grenouille). She is used as part of an undercover operation and is the love interest of Special Agent DiNozzo in seasons four and five; her last appearance is in "Internal Affairs".
• Paula Cassidy, portrayed by Jessica Steen (Seasons 1–4), is a special agent with NCIS and is temporarily assigned to Gibbs' team following the death of Kate Todd, before getting her own team based in the Pentagon. She is killed by a suicide bomber in "Grace Period".
• Thomas Morrow, portrayed by Alan Dale, is director of NCIS for the first two seasons. He resigns as Director of NCIS in "Kill Ari, Part 1", after being offered a job at the Department of Homeland Security and is succeeded by Jenny Shepard.
• Gerald Jackson, portrayed by Pancho Demmings, is the assistant medical examiner to Dr. Mallard during season one, until he is shot by Ari Haswari in "Bête Noire". He was Dr. Mallard's assistant two years prior to this, and went into rehab after the incident. He was replaced by Jimmy Palmer.

Production

The filming crew in 2009.

Name

Prior to the launch of the first season, advertisements on CBS identified the show as "Naval CIS". By the time of the launch of the first episode, NCIS was airing under the name Navy NCIS, the name it held for the entire first season. Since the "N" in NCIS stands for "Naval", the name "Navy NCIS" was technically redundant. The decision to use this name was reportedly made by CBS, over the objections of Bellisario, in order to:

• Attract new viewers (particularly those of JAG), who might not know the NCIS abbreviation.
• Disambiguate between NCIS and the similarly themed and similarly spelled CBS series CSI and its spinoffs. (The original title, for instance, was often misquoted and parodied as "Navy CSI", something the show itself referenced in the first episode).^[12]

After its successful first season, the name of the series was shortened to NCIS.

Filming location

NCIS is set in the Washington, D.C. area but is filmed in Santa Clarita, California.^[13] The sound stages are in Santa Clarita. The series is shot throughout southern California.

Crew changes

It was reported in May 2007 that Donald Bellisario would be stepping down from the show.^[14] Due to a disagreement with series star Mark Harmon, Bellisario's duties as show runner/head writer were to be tasked to long-time show collaborators, including co-executive producer Chas. Floyd Johnson and Shane Brennan, with Bellisario retaining his title as executive producer.^[15] In fall 2009,^{[clarification needed]} Gary Glasberg joined the crew and became the new "day-to-day" runner of NCIS, as Shane Brennan had to focus on his new show, the spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles. ^[16]

Episodes

Eight complete seasons of NCIS have aired, with the eighth season ending on May 17, 2011. The ninth season of NCIS premiered on September 20, 2011. As of February 7, 2012 (2012 -02-07)^[update], 200 original episodes of NCIS have aired.

Crossovers

NCIS has had crossovers with two other CBS shows:

• JAG: The pilot of NCIS was made up of two episodes of JAG, "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" from JAG's eighth season. These JAG episodes introduced Mark Harmon as Gibbs, Michael Weatherly as Tony, Pauley Perrette as Abby, and David McCallum as Ducky. Patrick Labyorteaux reprised his role as Lt. Bud Roberts in the first season episode "Hung Out to Dry"; Alicia Coppola returned as Lt. Cmdr. Faith Coleman in "UnSEALed", "Call of Silence" and "Hometown Hero" while Adam Baldwin returned as Cmdr. Michael Rainer in "A Weak Link".
• NCIS: Los Angeles: Rocky Carroll appears on NCIS: Los Angeles as his NCIS character Director Leon Vance, while Pauley Perrette has appeared twice as Abby. Also, on the season finale of NCIS: Los Angeles, David Dayan Fisher reprises his role as CIA Officer Trent Kort. Additionally, Kelly Hu appears as Lee Wuan Kai in NCIS: Los Angeles and later appears in an episode of NCIS. Also, many of the characters working at the Office of Special Projects in NCIS: Los Angeles are introduced near the end of Season 6 of NCIS. In the Season 7 finale of NCIS, Vance mentions he has spent a lot of time getting the new Los Angeles branch up and running the past year, and tells Gibbs that Hetty (director of the Los Angeles branch) took him on a tour of Warner Bros. Studios.

Ratings

Broadcast

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of NCIS.

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

• NCIS is the most watched scripted TV series in the United States, followed by CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Both shows are from CBS.^[34]
• In the season 8 episode "Freedom", NCIS set another series ratings record by attracting an audience of 22.85 million viewers and a 18-49 rating of 4.6. (Live+SD) ^[35][36]

DVR

• The show ranked number four in DVR playback (2.714 million viewers), according to Nielsen prime DVR lift data from January 5–11, 2009.^[37]
• The show ranked number thirteen in DVR playback (2.743 million viewers), according to Nielsen prime DVR lift data from February 9–15, 2009.^[38]
• The show ranked number nine in DVR playback (3.007 million viewers), according to Nielsen prime DVR lift data from April 6–12, 2009.^[39]

Cable

• The show ranked number eighteen (4.793 million viewers) in the list of Nielsen ratings top twenty most-watched cable shows for the week ending January 25, 2009.^[40]
• The show ranked number ten (4.535 million viewers), twelve (4.264 million viewers), thirteen (4.221 million viewers), fifteen (4,161 million viewers), seventeen (4.132 million viewers), and twenty (4.081 million viewers) in the list of Nielsen ratings top twenty most-watched cable shows for the week ending March 1, 2009.^[41]
• The show ranked sixteen (4.091 million viewers), seventeen (4.084 million viewers), eighteen (4.072 million viewers), and twenty (4.006 million viewers) in the list of Nielsen ratings top twenty most-watched cable shows for the week ending March 29, 2009.^[42]
• The show ranked number five (4.492 million viewers), six (4.467 million viewers), eight (4.394 million viewers), nine (4.214 million viewers), fifteen (3.962 million viewers), and seventeen (3.8.58 million viewers) in the list of Nielsen ratings top twenty most-watched cable shows for the week ending May 3, 2009.^[43]
• The show ranked number three (4.82 million viewers), six (4.38 million viewers), ten (3.82 million viewers), eleven (3.88 million viewers), and fourteen (3.87 million viewers) in the list of Nielsen ratings top fifteen most-watched cable shows for the week ending November 1, 2009.^[44]

DVD releases

The first eight seasons of NCIS have been released as full-season boxed sets in Regions 1, 2 and 4. In Germany (which belongs to Region 2), each of season 1 – 4 was released in two DVD-boxes. The first season DVD release omits the two part introductory episode that aired as part of the eighth season of JAG.

Other releases

In 2010, CBS Interactive and GameHouse released a mobile video game, NCIS: The Game for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and BREW/J2ME. The game features five different cases written by the show's writers.^[65]

On November 1, 2011, Ubisoft released NCIS, a video game for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii. A Nintendo 3DS version is scheduled to be released on March 6, 2012. The video game was deemed as a mockery to the show by reviewers and players alike, and received a 2/10 rating on GameSpot.^[66]

Soundtrack

CBS Records released the show's first soundtrack on February 10, 2009.^[67] The Official TV Soundtrack is a two-disc, 22-track set that includes brand new songs from top artists featured prominently in upcoming episodes of the series as well as the show’s original theme by Numeriklab^[68] (available commercially for the first time) and a remix of the theme by Ministry. The set also includes songs performed by series regulars Pauley Perrette and Cote de Pablo.

A sequel to the soundtrack was released on November 3, 2009. NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack; Vol. 2 is a single disc, 12 track set that covers songs (many previously unreleased) featured throughout the seventh season of the show, including one recording titled "Bitter and Blue" by Weatherly, as well as two songs used in previous seasons.

Spin-off

CBS has picked up an NCIS spin-off series with the title NCIS: Los Angeles.^{[69][70][71][72]} Filming began in February 2009, with the characters introduced in a two-part NCIS episode entitled "Legend" which aired on April 28, 2009 and May 5, 2009.^[70] The characters listed were: G. Callen, Lara Macy, Nate "Doc" Getz, Kensi Blye, and Sam Hanna.^[73] Crew members will include Michael B. Kaplan, Lev L. Spiro, Jerry London, Sheldon Epps and Mark Saraceni.^[74]

Chris O'Donnell plays the lead character, G. Callen.^[75] LL Cool J, plays the role of Special Agent Sam Hanna, a former Navy SEAL, who works in the undercover unit of NCIS in Los Angeles, and is also fluent in Arabic and an expert on Middle Eastern culture."^[71] Peter Cambor and Daniela Ruah were confirmed to be cast as leads of the new spin-off, playing a psychologist (called "Nate") and forensic investigator (called "Kensi") respectively.^[73]

Following the shows official pick up Louise Lombard was not signed for the role of Special Agent Lara Macy, that she had played in the pilot, Linda Hunt and Adam Jamal Craig were confirmed to replace her, playing OSP Manager Henrietta Lange and Special Agent Dom Vail, both starring roles. Craig left the series in episode 21 of Season 1, and has been replaced by Eric Christian Olsen playing Marty Deeks,^[76] the LAPD/NCIS Liaison. The series started its second season with a 2-hour premiere on September 21, 2010.

The third season started on September 20, 2011 at 9PM ET/PT.

Characters from NCIS have appeared in the spin-off; Leon Vance has a recurring role and Abby Sciuto appeared in the episodes "Random on Purpose" and "Killshot".

Awards and nominations

ALMA Award

• Nominated – Outstanding Actress in a Drama Television Series – Cote de Pablo (2008)
• Won – Outstanding Actress in a Drama Television Series – Cote de Pablo (2011)

ASCAP Award

• Won – Top TV Series – Matt Hawkins, Maurice Jackson, Neil Martin (2009)
• Won – Top TV Series – Matt Hawkins, Maurice Jackson, Neil Martin (2008)
• Won – Top TV Series – Matt Hawkins, Maurice Jackson, Neil Martin (2007)
• Won – Top TV Series – Matt Hawkins, Maurice Jackson, Neil Martin (2006)
• Won – Top TV Series – Matt Hawkins, Maurice Jackson, Neil Martin (2004)
• Won – Top TV Series – Steven Bramson (2004)

BMI Film & TV Awards

• Won – BMI TV Music Award – Brian Kirk (2009)
• Won – BMI TV Music Award – Brian Kirk (2008)
• Won – BMI TV Music Award – Joseph Conlan (2005)

California on Location Awards

• Won – Location Team of the Year (Episodic Television) – Emily Kirylo, Jim McClafferty, Joel Sinderman, Michael Soleau (2008)

Emmy Awards

• Nominated – Outstanding Stunt Coordination – Diamond Farnsworth, "Requiem" (2008)
• Nominated – Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series – Charles Durning (2005)

NAACP Image Awards

• Nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Rocky Carroll (2010)

People's Choice Awards

• Nominated – Favorite TV Drama (2009)
• Nominated – Favorite TV Drama Actor – Mark Harmon (2009)
• Nominated - Favorite TV Drama (2010)
• Nominated - Favorite TV Crime Drama (2011)
• Nominated - Favorite TV Crime Drama (2012)

Imagen Foundation Awards

• Nominated – Best Supporting Actress/Television – Cote de Pablo (2009)
• Won – Best Supporting Actress/Television – Cote de Pablo (2006)

Young Artist Awards

• Nominated – Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor – Dominic Scott Kay, "Lost & Found" (2008)

International distribution

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: NCIS (TV series)

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: NCIS (TV series)

• Official website
• NCIS at the Internet Movie Database
• NCIS at TV Guide
• NCIS at AllRovi
• NCIS at TV.com