The series originally had the partly redundant title Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service; this was later shortened to NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service and then to NCIS. In season six, a two-part episode led to a spin-off series, NCIS: Los Angeles. A two-part episode during the 11th season led to a second spin-off series, NCIS: New Orleans. Though initially slow in the ratings barely cracking the top 30 in the first two seasons, the third season showed progress consistently ranking in the top 20, and by its sixth season, it became a top-five hit having remained there since. In 2011, NCIS was voted America's favorite television show in an online Harris Poll. At the end of its 10th season, the series was the most-watched television series in the U.S. during the 2012–13 network television season. NCIS is on its 21st season.[3]NCIS also surpassed Gunsmoke's record for longest running scripted primetime television series to air on CBS. On January 5, 2024, it was announced that the prequel, NCIS: Origins, will be aired during the 2024–25 season as another spin-off series,[4] while a second spin-off following Ziva and DiNozzo was announced on February 28, 2024 as a show exclusive to Paramount+.[5]
Premise
NCIS is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service responding to high-visibility crimes. NCIS is the primary federal law-enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Navy, which investigates criminal activities (e.g. deaths, force protection, treason, etc.) involving the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps and their families. Based at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., the NCIS Major Case Response Team was led by Supervisory Special Agent, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who was a former Marine Corps gunnery sergeantscout sniper and a skilled investigator until his suspension late in season 18. Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker, a former FBI special agent, now leads the team following his appointment early in season 19.
Rocky Carroll recurs on NCIS: Los Angeles as his NCIS character Director Leon Vance, while Pauley Perrette has appeared twice as Abby, and Michael Weatherly has appeared once as Anthony DiNozzo. NCIS guest stars reprising roles between series include David Dayan Fisher as CIA Officer Trent Kort, in the season finale of NCIS: Los Angeles, and Kelly Hu as Lee Wuan Kai in NCIS: Los Angeles and later in an episode of NCIS.
John M. Jackson has appeared on NCIS: Los Angeles as his JAG character Admiral A. J. Chegwidden, while this series has also crossed over with Hawaii Five-0 and Scorpion.
Rocky Carroll recurs as Director Leon Vance, while NCIS series regulars Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, Sean Murray, Emily Wickersham, Wilmer Valderrama, David McCallum, and Brian Dietzen have all appeared as their NCIS characters. NCIS recurring cast members Meredith Eaton, Joe Spano, Diane Neal, and Leslie Hope have all guest-starred on NCIS: New Orleans.
Production
Filming in 2009
Title
Before 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 redundant. The decision to use this name was reportedly made by CBS, over the objections of Bellisario,[7] who preferred the old title because he felt it would:
Attract new viewers (particularly those of JAG), who might not know the NCIS abbreviation
Distinguish 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.)[8]
Development
In 2011, NCIS was voted America's favorite television show in an online Harris poll.[9]NCIS finished its 10th season as the most-watched television series in the U.S. during the 2012–13 network television season.[10]Diona Reasonover joined the main cast in season 16,[11] following the departures of Duane Henry and Pauley Perrette.[12]NCIS was renewed for a seventeenth season on April 11, 2019,[13] which premiered on September 24, 2019,[14] and for an eighteenth season in May 2020. The season premiered on November 17, 2020.[15]
Flair
From the season two episode "Lt. Jane Doe" onwards, the series began showing two-second-long black-and-white clips. These clips (called "phoofs")[16] are shown at the beginning of every segment depicting the last two seconds of that segment, a segment being the five or six portions of the show meant to be separated by commercials. Additionally, starting with the season three premiere, "Kill Ari (Part I)," a freeze-frame shot was also used at the very end of most episodes as well.
Crew changes
It was reported in May 2007 that Donald P. Bellisario would be stepping down from the show.[17] Due to a disagreement with series star Mark Harmon, Bellisario's duties as showrunner/head writer were to be given to long-time show collaborators, including co-executive producer Chas. Floyd Johnson and Shane Brennan, with Bellisario retaining his title as executive producer.[18] In fall 2009,[clarification needed]Gary Glasberg joined the crew and became the new "day-to-day" runner of NCIS because Shane Brennan had to focus on his new show, the spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles.[19] On September 28, 2016, Glasberg died in his sleep at the age of 50.[20][21]
The first 20 seasons of NCIS have been released in Regions 1, 2, and 4. In Germany (Region 2), seasons 1–4 and 5–8 were released in two separate sets for each season. The first-season DVD omits the two introductory episodes from season eight of JAG, though they are featured on the JAG season eight DVD.
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.[31]
On November 1, 2011, Ubisoft released a video game adaption of NCIS for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii. A Nintendo 3DS version was released on March 6, 2012. The video game was deemed as a mockery of the show by reviewers and players alike, and received a 2/10 rating on GameSpot.[32]
There is also a Facebook and mobile game called NCIS: Hidden Crimes.[33][34]
TV movies
In the UK, certain NCIS multi-part episodes were edited together to make a combined feature and shown on Channel 5, 5USA, CBS Action and Fox UK. These include:
CBS Records released the show's first soundtrack on February 10, 2009.[49]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[50] (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 Coté 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.
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of NCIS. Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
Since season 7, NCIS has been the most watched scripted show on American television; in the 2012–13 season it was the most watched program of the past year, surpassing both American Idol and NBC Sunday Night Football, which had ranked above it the previous three seasons.
On January 15, 2013, NCIS surpassed its previous series high in viewers, with the season ten episode "Shiva" attracting 22.86 million viewers.[52]
In November 2008, it was reported that a first spin-off series set in Los Angeles would be introduced with a two-part backdoor pilot during the sixth season of NCIS. The episode title "Legend (Part I)" and "Legend (Part II)", airing on April 28, 2009, and May 5, 2009.[80][81][82] In May 2009, CBS picked up an NCIS spin-off series with the title NCIS: Los Angeles.[83]
The series stars Chris O'Donnell as Special Agent G. Callen,[84]LL Cool J as Special Agent Sam Hanna,[84][85]Louise Lombard as Special Agent Lara Macy, Peter Cambor as Operational Psychologist Nate Getz, and Daniela Ruah as Special Agent Kensi Blye.[86][87] Following the official pick-up by CBS, it was confirmed that Lombard would not continue her role as Special Agent Lara Macy.[88]Linda Hunt and Adam Jamal Craig were added the cast as OSP Manager Henrietta Lange and Special Agent Dom Vail respectively.[89] Craig, would not be returning for second season and was replaced by Eric Christian Olsen as Marty Deeks promoted to series regular.[90]
NCIS: Los Angeles was created by Shane Brennan. In April 2011, NCIS creator Donald Bellisario sued CBS over NCIS: Los Angeles because of his contract which gave him "first opportunity" to develop a spin-off or sequel;[95] the lawsuit was dismissed by a judge in June 2012. However, discussions continued between CBS and Bellisario, and in January 2013 the dispute was settled outside of court a week before it was set to go to trial; the terms of the agreement were not disclosed but were described as being amicable.[96][97][98]
In September 2013, it was reported that a second spin-off series set in New Orleans would be introduced with a two-part backdoor pilot during the eleventh season of NCIS. The episode title "Crescent City (Part I)" and "Crescent City (Part II)". The episodes were filmed in February 2014, and aired on March 25, 2014, and April 1, 2014. NCIS star Mark Harmon and showrunner Gary Glasberg are the executive producers of the series.[99] Glasberg discussed the idea of the episode with Harmon, who said "That's more than a sweeps episode"[100] (meaning an episode with provocative subject manner and top appeal for television ratings). The premise for the episodes are, according to Glasberg, "all about this tiny little NCIS office that's down [in New Orleans], and the kind of cases that they come across".[101] In May 2014, CBS picked up an NCIS second spin-off series with the title NCIS: New Orleans.[102]
NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans have had two crossovers.
"Sister City" (season 13): Abby's brother is suspected of poisoning the passengers and crew of a private plane flying from New Orleans to Washington, D.C.
"Pandora's Box" (season 14): A theoretical terror playbook is stolen and put up for auction on the black market when Abby's homeland security think tank is compromised.
On February 16, 2021, it was reported that a spin-off set in Hawaii was in the works from NCIS: New Orleans executive producers Christopher Silber and Jan Nash.[109] On April 23, 2021, it was announced that CBS had given the production a straight-to-series order to the spin-off, and intended to include the franchise's first female lead character.[110] The show debuted on CBS on September 20, 2021, with Vanessa Lachey in the leading role.
On February 16, 2022, it was reported that a spin-off set in Sydney, Australia, was in the works. NCIS: Los Angeles producer Shane Brennan will be attached to the project. The series will be the first international spin-off for the NCIS franchise, and will feature local Australian actors and producers. It was released in Australia on Paramount+ from November 10, 2023, and is set to also air on Network 10 in mid 2024.[111][112][113] It also aired on CBS in the United States from November 14, 2023, as a result of the suspension of other NCIS productions due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, and will be available for streaming in selected territories internationally on Paramount+.[114][115]
On January 5, 2024, it was announced that a spin-off and prequel series based on Leroy Jethro Gibbs's early days as an NCIS agent was in the works. Mark Harmon is set to reprise his role as Gibbs in a narrator role.[117] The series is set to air during the 2024–2025 season.[4] In March 2024, it was announced that Austin Stowell will be cast in the role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.[118]
Untitled Tony & Ziva spinoff
On February 28, 2024, it was announced that Paramount+ had ordered another spin-off of NCIS focusing on Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo's characters Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David.[119]
Carter, Bill. "Behind a Quiet Little Hit, a Reliable Hit Maker." New York Times October 25, 2005, Vol. 155 Issue 53378, pE1-E7 about Donald P. Bellisario.
Coyne, Kate. "Mark Harmon: Built to Last" People April 3, 2019, Vol. 91 Issue 10, p40-46
Gallagher, Thomas. "Sins of the Father: NCIS and the Family at Work." Journal of Popular Culture 49.4 (2016): 875–896.
Hust, Stacey J.T., et al. "Law & Order, CSI, and NCIS: The association between exposure to crime drama franchises, rape myth acceptance, and sexual consent negotiation among college students." Journal of Health Communication 20.12 (2015): 1369–1381.
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