NCIS (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| NCIS | |
|---|---|
 NCIS main cast |
|
| Format | Drama - Police procedural |
| Starring | see below |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 113 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 42 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original run | September 23, 2003 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | JAG |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
NCIS is an American police procedural television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The concept and characters were initially introduced in a two-part episode of the CBS series JAG (episodes 8.20 and 8.21). The show premiered on September 23, 2003 on CBS. Its executive producer was Donald Bellisario. [1]
NCIS is scheduled to return for a sixth season in the 2008-2009 season.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Overview
NCIS is a television show that follows a fictional team of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service Major Case Response Team (MCRT) 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 USA) as being distinguished by its comedy elements, ensemble acting and character-driven plots.
As NCIS is a federal law enforcement agency with jurisdiction on crimes involving persons and property associated with the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, the team is frequently assigned to high-profile cases such as the death of the President's nuclear missile 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.
In a number of episodes on NCIS, Mark Harmon's character, Gibbs is seen wearing an old shirt with NIS written on it. This is not a mistake, as Navy veterans will often point out. Prior to it becoming NCIS, it was the Naval Investigative Service (NIS). This also effectively plays into the idea that Gibbs has been with NCIS for quite some time longer than the others.
The ensemble acting approach means that the 'stars' include relatively minor characters and even extends to some recurring characters. There are 7 permanent characters credited at the beginning of season 5. Guest stars usually appear in only one episode.
USA Network began showing re-runs of NCIS on Wednesday, January 2, 2008, using the slogan, "The Show With More Initials than Any Other Drama on Television." It is on TV on CBS every Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m Eastern and Pacific Time.
Network Ten, Australia, began running Back to Back episodes March 2, 2008, with the slogan "The show that never gets a break". The 2nd episode is usually a Season 1-2 Episode, with the 1st Episode being a Season 5
[edit] Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Occupation | Character Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leroy Jethro Gibbs | Mark Harmon | Special Agent // Major Case Response Team Supervisor, NCIS | Regular (2003 - Present) |
| Tony DiNozzo | Michael Weatherly | Special Agent // Major Case Response Team Senior Field Agent, NCIS Transferred to the USS Ronald Reagan in Season 5 ("Judgment Day") |
Regular (2003 - Present) |
| Timothy McGee | Sean Murray | Special Agent // Major Case Response Team Junior Field Agent , NCIS Transferred to the Cybercrime Commission in Season 5 ("Judgment Day") |
Regular (2004 - Present) |
| Ziva David | Cote de Pablo | Mossad Liaison Officer, NCIS Liaison position was terminated in Season 5 ("Judgment Day") |
Regular (2005 - Present) |
| Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard | David McCallum | Chief Medical Examiner, NCIS | Regular (2003 - Present) |
| Abby Sciuto | Pauley Perrette | Forensic Specialist, NCIS | Regular (2003 - Present) |
| Leon Vance | Rocky Carroll | Director, NCIS former Deputy Director, NCIS |
Recurring (2008 - Present) |
| Ron Sacks | Don Franklin | Special Agent, FBI | Recurring (2005 - Present) |
| Jimmy Palmer | Brian Dietzen | Assistant Medical Examiner, NCIS | Recurring (2004 - Present) |
| Tobias Fornell | Joe Spano | Senior Special Agent, FBI | Recurring (2003 - Present) |
| Jenny Shepard | Lauren Holly | Former Director, NCIS Killed during a gun fight. Season 5 ("Judgment Day") |
Former regular (2005 - 2008) † |
| Caitlin "Kate" Todd | Sasha Alexander | NCIS Special Agent, NCIS Killed by Ari Haswari in Season 2 ("Twilight") |
Former regular (2003 - 2005) † |
| Dr. Jeanne Benoit | Scottie Thompson | Doctor, Monroe University Hospital | Former recurring (2006 - 2008) |
| Paula Cassidy | Jessica Steen | NCIS Special Agent, NCIS Killed in Season 4 ("Grace Period") by a suicide bomber |
Former recurring (2003 - 2007) † |
| Hollis Mann | Susanna Thompson | Lt. Colonel, US Army, CID retired | Former recurring (2006 - 2007) |
| Cassie Yates | Tamara Taylor | NCIS Special Agent, NCIS | Former recurring (2003 - 2006) |
| Thomas Morrow | Alan Dale | Former Director, NCIS Deputy Director, DHS |
Former recurring (2003 - 2005) |
| Gerald Jackson | Pancho Demmings | Assistant Medical Examiner, NCIS | Former recurring (2003 - 2005) |
† - indicates character is deceased.
[edit] Naming the show
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 (an example of RAS syndrome). The decision to use this name was reportedly made by CBS,[citation needed] 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 as Navy CSI.”)
After its successful first season, the name of the series was shortened to NCIS.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Filming location
NCIS is set in Washington DC area but is really filmed in Santa Clarita, CA [3]
- The sound stages are in Santa Clarita, California
- The series is shot throughout southern California
[edit] U.S. television ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of NCIS on CBS.
Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
| Season | Timeslot | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 23, 2003 | May 25, 2004 | 2003–2004 | #26 | 11.84[4] | |
| 2 | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 28, 2004 | May 24, 2005 | 2004–2005 | #22 | 13.63[5] | |
| 3 | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 20, 2005 | May 16, 2006 | 2005–2006 | #16 | 15.3[6] | |
| 4 | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 19, 2006 | May 22, 2007 | 2006–2007 | #18 | 14.5[7] | |
| 5 | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 25, 2007 | May 20, 2008 | 2007–2008 | #10 | 14.1 | |
| 6 | Tuesday 8:00PM | TBA | TBA | 2008–2009 | N/A | N/A |
NCIS has become a top 10 program in its fifth season, averaging 15.65 million viewers, while remaining impervious to tough reality competition including FOX's mega-hit American Idol.
[edit] Changes
It was reported in May 2007 that NCIS creator and producer Donald Bellisario would be stepping down from the show[8]. It turns out, due to a disagreement with series star Mark Harmon, that Bellisario's duties as "show runner" would be taken over by longtime show collaborators, including co-executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson and series writer Shane Brennan, with Bellisario retaining his title as Executive Producer.[citation needed]
[edit] DVD releases
| DVD Name | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | June 6, 2006 | July 24, 2006 | August 10, 2006 |
| Season 2 | November 14, 2006 | October 16, 2006 | October 12, 2006 |
| Season 3 | April 24, 2007 | June 25, 2007 | March 15, 2007 |
| Season 4 | October 23, 2007 | May 19, 2008 | July 10, 2008 |
| Season 5 | August 26, 2008 | TBA | TBA |
The first season DVD release omits the two-part introductory episode that aired as part of the eighth season of JAG.
[edit] References
- ^ Adalian, Josef (2007-05-06). Bellisario to leave 'NCIS'. Variety. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
- ^ The Futon Critic: CBS ANNOUNCES NEW 2008-2009 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
- ^ "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service" (2003) - Filming locations
- ^ "I.T.R.S. Ranking Report", June 2, 2004.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2004-05 primetime wrap", May 27, 2005.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2005-06 primetime wrap", May 26, 2006.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap", May 25, 2007.
- ^ Los Angeles Times May 8, 2007
[edit] External links
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