NCIS (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| NCIS | |
 NCIS intertitle |
|
| Format | Police procedural Drama |
|---|---|
| Created by | Donald Bellisario Don McGill |
| Starring | see below |
| Theme music composer | Numeriklab |
| Opening theme | NCIS Theme |
| Composer(s) | Matt Hawkins Maurice Jackson Neil Martin |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 134 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Donald Bellisario Chas. Floyd Johnson |
| Producer(s) | David Bellisario Avery C. Drewe Mark Harmon |
| Location(s) | Santa Clarita, CA |
| Cinematography | Billy Web |
| Running time | approx. 42-44 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Belisarius Productions CBS Paramount Television |
| Distributor | CBS |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original run | September 23, 2003 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | NCIS: Legend JAG |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
NCIS (promoted as Navy NCIS in season one), aka Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service or NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural 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 (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 five full seasons. Donald Bellisario, who created JAG, as well as the well-known series Magnum P.I., Airwolf, and Quantum Leap, executive produces NCIS. NCIS was originally referred to as “Navy NCIS”. However "Navy" was later dropped, as it was redundant. NCIS returned for its sixth season on September 23, 2008 in the US, and in the UK, Friday January 9, 2009 on Five, showing season 5.
Contents |
[edit] Premise
NCIS is a television show that follows a fictional team of 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.
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), those crimes punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice by confinement of more than one year, within the Department of the Navy. This can be seen when the “NCIS team” is frequently assigned to high-profile cases such as the death of the 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 “NCIS team” is led by Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). Gibbs’ team is composed of Special Agent and Senior Field Agent Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) and Mossad Liaison Officer Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), who replaced Caitlin 'Kate' Todd (Sasha Alexander) when she was shot by Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin) at the end of season two. Ari himself is then killed by his half- sister Ziva in the beginning of season three. The team is assisted in their investigations by Chief Medical Examiner Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum), Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) and Assistant Medical Examiner Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen).
NCIS is currently led by Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll). The first Director seen in the series, Thomas Morrow (Alan Dale) left after a promotion to Deputy Director of DHS. Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly) was appointed Director after Morrow; she was killed in a shootout at the end of the fifth season.
[edit] Main cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Occupation | Character Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leroy Jethro Gibbs | Mark Harmon | Special Agent In Charge // Major Case Response Team Supervisor, NCIS | Regular (2003–Present) |
| Anthony DiNozzo | Michael Weatherly | Special Agent // Major Case Response Team Senior Field Agent, NCIS Reassigned as an Agent Afloat in Season 5 ("Judgment Day") Transferred back to the Major Case Response Team in Season 6 ("Agent Afloat") [1] |
Regular (2003–Present) |
| Ziva David | Cote de Pablo | Mossad Liaison Officer, NCIS Liaison position was terminated in Season 5 ("Judgment Day")[1] Liaison position reinstated Season 6 ("Last Man Standing") |
Regular (2005–Present) |
| Timothy McGee | Sean Murray | Special Agent // Major Case Response Team Junior Field Agent, NCIS Transferred to Cybercrimes Division in Season 5 ("Judgment Day") Transferred back to the Major Case Response Team in Season 6 ("Last Man Standing") [1] |
Regular (2004–Present) |
| Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard | David McCallum | Chief Medical Examiner and Forensic Expert, NCIS | Regular (2003–Present) |
| Abby Sciuto | Pauley Perrette | Forensic and Evidence Specialist, NCIS | Regular (2003–Present) |
| Leon Vance | Rocky Carroll | Director, NCIS former Assistant Director, NCIS |
Regular (2008–Present) |
| Jimmy Palmer | Brian Dietzen | Assistant Medical Examiner, NCIS | Recurring (2004–Present) |
| Tobias Fornell | Joe Spano | Senior Special Agent, FBI | Recurring (2003–Present) |
| Mike Franks | Muse Watson | Retired Supervisory Special Agent, NIS; Mentor to L. Jethro Gibbs | Recurring (2005–Present) |
| Cassie Yates | Tamara Taylor | Special Agent, NCIS | Recurring (2005-present) |
| Trent Kort | David Dayan Fisher | CIA | Recurring (2006-Present) |
| Michelle Lee | Liza Lapira | Special Agent // Lawyer, NCIS Killed in Season 6 ("Dagger") by Gibbs in order to kill a suspect |
Former recurring (2006–2008) |
| 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 | 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, U.S. Army, CID retired | Former recurring (2006–2007) |
| Thomas Morrow | Alan Dale | Former Director, NCIS Deputy Director, DHS |
Former recurring (2003–2005) |
| Gerald Jackson | Pancho Demmings | Former Assistant Medical Examiner, NCIS | Former recurring (2003–2005) |
[edit] Production
[edit] 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 (an example of RAS syndrome). 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 as Navy CSI.”)
After its successful first season, the name of the series was shortened to NCIS.
[edit] Filming location
NCIS is set in the Washington D.C. area but is filmed in Santa Clarita, California.[2]
- The sound stages are in Santa Clarita, California
- The series is shot throughout southern California
[edit] Crew changes
It was reported in May 2007 that Donald Bellisario would be stepping down from the show.[3] It turns out, due to a disagreement with series star Harmon, that Bellisario's duties as show runner/Head Writer would be taken over by longtime show collaborators, including co-executive producer Chas. Floyd Johnson and Shane Brennan, with Bellisario retaining his title as Executive Producer.[4]
[edit] Episodes
Five seasons of NCIS have been aired, with a sixth season which started September 23, 2008.[5] A total of 130 episodes have aired as of 25 February 2009.
[edit] Ratings
[edit] American Ratings
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.
| Season | Timeslot | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 23, 2003 | May 25, 2004 | 2003–2004 | #26 | 11.84[6] |
| 2nd | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 28, 2004 | May 24, 2005 | 2004–2005 | #22 | 13.63[7] |
| 3rd | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 20, 2005 | May 16, 2006 | 2005–2006 | #16 | 15.3[8] |
| 4th | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 19, 2006 | May 22, 2007 | 2006–2007 | #18 | 14.5[9] |
| 5th | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 25, 2007 | May 20, 2008 | 2007–2008 | #10 | 15.65 |
| 6th | Tuesday 8:00PM | September 23, 2008 | TBA | 2008–2009 | #5 | 18.3 |
°Times listed are in ET
NCIS has become a top 10 program in its fifth season, averaging 15.65 million viewers, despite a WGA strike. Notably, the show is one of the few that has actually increased in viewership as it progresses, as opposed to most shows, which decrease in popularity as they fade, and has even been able to finish a strong second to Fox's American Idol, a time slot seen by many as a "death slot" for most series.
NCIS delivered its largest audience ever to date, in the sixth season episode "Silent Night", soaring to 19.86 million viewers. It won its time slot in households (12.0), viewers (19.94m), adults 25-54 (5.8) and second in adults 18-49 (4.0; behind NBC's season finale of The Biggest Loser). NCIS posted its best ever delivery in households and viewers, best adults 25-54 performance since October 16, 2007 and matched season high adults 18-49 delivery.[10]
Its second highest rated episode (Jan. 2009): households (11.6), viewers (19.10m), adults 25-54 (5.6) and second in adults 18-49 (3.8).[citation needed]
[edit] Other Ratings
DVR Ratings:
- The show ranked number four in DVR playback (2.714 million viewers), according to Nielsen prime DVR lift data from January 5-11, 2009.[11]
- The show ranked number thirteen in DVR playback (2.743 million viewers), according to Nielsen prime DVR lift data from February 9-15, 2009.[12]
Cable Ratings:
- 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.[13]
- 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.[14]
- 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.[15]
[edit] Non U.S. Ratings
U.K.
Figures for the UK are unreliable as they are one season behind the US as well as being split between cable and terrestrial TV. Repeats are spread over many channels.
- The Channel Five latest series five episodes average around 2.4 million per new episode[16]
- Season 5 episode 1 January 9 2009 2.62 million
- Season 5 episode 2 January 16 2009 2.76 million
- Season 5 episode 3 January 23 2009 2.41 million
- Season 5 episode 4 January 30 2009 2.44 million
- Season 5 episode 5 February 6 2009 2.73 million
- Season 5 episode 6 February 13 2009 2.31 million
- Season 5 episode 7 February 20 2009 2.45 million
[edit] DVD releases
All five seasons of NCIS have been released as full-season boxed sets in Region One DVD format. Seasons One to Four have also been released on Region Two and Region Four DVD format for sale in the United Kingdom and Australia. Note also that the first season DVD release omits the two-part introductory episode that aired as part of the eighth season of JAG.
| DVD Name | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | June 6, 2006[17] | July 24, 2006[18] | August 10, 2006[19] |
| Season 2 | November 14, 2006[20] | October 16, 2006[21] | October 12, 2006[22] |
| Season 3 | April 24, 2007[23] | June 25, 2007[24] | March 15, 2007[25] |
| Season 4 | October 23, 2007[26] | May 19, 2008[27] | July 10, 2008[28] |
| Season 5 | August 26, 2008[29] | June 22, 2009[30] | May 7, 2009 |
[edit] Soundtrack
CBS Records, announced in December 2008 that the release of the show's first soundtrack has been set for February 10, 2009.[31] According to the NCIS soundtrack website, The Official TV Soundtrack will be a two-disc 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[32] (available commercially for the first time) and a remix of the theme by Ministry. The soundtrack website has run website contests as well as playing previews of the soundtrack CD's.
[edit] Spin-off
CBS is currently developing an NCIS spin-off series that will be entitled NCIS: Legend.[33][34] Filming was to begin in February 2009, with the characters introduced in a two-part NCIS episode this year.[35] The characters listed were: Callen, Clara Macy, Nate "Doc" Getz, Kensi Lo, Sam Hanna, and Dominic Vaile. Crew members will include Michael B. Kaplan, Lev L. Spiro, Jerry London, Sheldon Epps and Mark Saraceni.[36]
Chris O'Donnell will be playing the lead character, Callen, an enigmatic lead agent whose natural talent for undercover work is legend.[37] LL Cool J, will be playing the role of Special Agent Sam Hanna, an ex-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."[33]
Louise Lombard, Peter Cambor, and Daniela Ruah were confirmed to be cast as leads of the new spin-off. Playing the female lead (called "Clara"), a psychologist (called "Nate") and forensic investigator (called "Kensi") respectively, they will appear on-screen for the first time in an episode of NCIS that airs in the spring, followed by a pilot of the new series.[38]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Posted by DarkUFO (at Saturday, August 09, 2008). "Spoiler TV: NCIS - Latest from TV Guide". Spoilertv.blogspot.com. http://spoilertv.blogspot.com/2008/08/ncis-latest-from-tv-guide.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-16.
- ^ ""Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service" (2003) - Filming locations". Imdb.com. http://imdb.com/title/tt0364845/locations. Retrieved on 2008-11-16.
- ^ "'NCIS' Loses Producer". New York Post. 2007-05-07. http://www.nypost.com/seven/05072007/tv/ncis_loses_producer_tv_.htm. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (2007-05-05). "Exclusive: NCIS Boss Exits!". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/news/Exclusive-NCIS-Boss-8335.aspx. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
- ^ Franklin, Garth. "CBS's 2008/2009 TV Schedule". DarkHorizons.com. http://www.darkhorizons.com/news08/tv-cbs.php. Retrieved on 2008-08-11.[dead link]
- ^ "I.T.R.S. Ranking Report". June 2, 2004. http://www.abcmedianet.com/Web/progcal/dispDNR.aspx?id=060204_11.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2004-05 primetime wrap". May 27, 2005. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000937471.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2005-06 primetime wrap". May 26, 2006. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002576393.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap". May 25, 2007. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ifbfdd1bcb53266ad8d9a71cad261604f.
- ^ Seidman, Robert. "TV by the Numbers". TVbytheNumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/12/17/tuesday-nielsen-ratings-mediocre-debut-for-mommas-boys/9756. Retrieved on 2008-12-17.
- ^ "Nielsen TV Ratings Grey's Anatomy Has Most DVR Viewers, 90210 Greatest Share Of Viewing By DVR". Tvbythenumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/01/26/greys-anatomy-has-most-dvr-viewers-90210-has-greatest-share-of-viewing-by-dvr/11582#more-11582. Retrieved on 2009-02-19.
- ^ Robert Seidman (02 March 2009). "Dollhouse premiere is 28th in total DVR viewing, 8th in % viewing on DVR". http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/03/02/dollhouse-premiere-is-28th-in-total-dvr-viewing-8th-in-viewing-on-dvr/13777#more-13777.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Top cable shows for the week ending January 25, 2009 including Obama inauguration coverage, WWE RAW, Burn Notice, Psych, SpongeBob, Back at the Barnyard, Battlestar Galactica, Kyle XY and Damages". Tvbythenumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/01/27/obama-inauguration-wwe-raw-and-burn-notice-lead-weekly-cable-viewing/11610#more-11610. Retrieved on 2009-02-19.
- ^ Robert Seidman (03 March 2009). "WWE RAW, The Closer and President Obama lead cable viewing". http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/03/03/wwe-raw-the-closer-and-president-obama-lead-cable-viewing/13835#more-13835.
- ^ http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/03/31/kids-choice-awards-penguins-of-madagascar-and-wwe-raw-lead-cable/15549#more-15549
- ^ "BARB". BARB. http://www.barb.co.uk/. Retrieved on 2009-02-19.
- ^ "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service - Season One", TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) - Season 1, Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ NCIS: Complete Season 1: 2003 (Naval Criminal Investigative Service), Sanity. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service - Season Two", TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) - Season 2, Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ NCIS: Complete Season 2: (Naval Criminal Investigative Service), Sanity. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service - Season Three", TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ NCIS Season 3, Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ NCIS: Complete Season 3: (Naval Criminal Investigative Service), Sanity. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service - Season Four", TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ NCIS Season 4, Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on September 11, 2008.
- ^ NCIS: Complete Season 4: (Naval Criminal Investigative Service), Sanity. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
- ^ "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service - Season Five", TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved on September 11, 2008.
- ^ "[1]", Play.com. Retrieved on April 08, 2009.
- ^ ""NCIS Music"". ncismusic.com. http://ncismusic.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-16.
- ^ http://www.numeriklab.com/2009/02/ncis-official-tv-soundtrack-released.html
- ^ a b Bierly, Mandi (2009-02-25). "'NCIS' spinoff officially lands LL Cool J". Entertainment Weekly. http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/02/ncis-ll-cool-j.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (2008-12-12). "Exclusive: Fresh 'NCIS' spin-off intel". Entertainment Weekly. http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/12/exclusive-fresh.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-12.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt (2009-02-27). "Pilot News: LL Cool J, O'Donnell Say Y-E-S to NCIS Spinoff". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Pilot-NCIS-Spinoff-1003456.aspx. Retrieved on 2009-03-01.
- ^ "Mark Saraceni". Imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1127374/. Retrieved on 2009-02-19.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2009-02-27). "O'Donnell nabs lead role in "NCIS" spin-off". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE51Q13620090227. Retrieved on 2009-02-27.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2009-02-13). "Three leads cast in 'NCIS' spinoff". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i4e22c70790e72ba297b20ae17b0ba01d?imw=Y. Retrieved on 2009-02-17.
[edit] External links
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: NCIS (TV series) |
- Official NCIS homepage at CBS
- Website - NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack
- NCIS at TV Guide
- "NCIS" at Yahoo! TV
- The real-life NCIS
- NCIS at Allmovie
- NCIS at the Internet Movie Database
- NCIS at TV.com
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
