NCIS had been on TV a while when I got into the series. I used to see it while flicking through the channels, I quickly flicked over to another channel, just because I didn't think I'd like it but one night when there wasn't much of the TV, I had no choice but to watch it and as soon as the episode finished, I was so blown away by it and I have been engrossed it in ever since.
Being in the UK, I had never heard of NCIS so I didn't know what it stood for and as I watched the show I found my knowledge of the organisation growing the longer I watched it.
This show works on so many great levels. Number one is the actors, I just love the way they interact with each other, they are like a family and act like one too. Mark Harmon plays Leroy Jethro Gibbs (what a stroke of genius, giving him that name), he is a former gunnery sergeant who is the boss of a group of investigators. He is the father, who can be strict and unbending but he clearly cares for his team and goes to bat for them when they are in trouble. Lauren Holly plays the director of NCIS (Jenny Shepard) who has a past with Gibbs and they act like a married couple at times, arguing about cases. I do like the relationship between Gibbs and Tony, I always laugh when Tony says the wrong thing and gets a slap across the back of the head, that has me in fits of hysterics as the situation is never sent up in the same way. Michael Weatherly (Anthony DiNozzo), he used to be a former homicide detective before he joined NCIS. He is like a small boy who has never grown up, he is into his movies, he loves the women and likes to make fun of McGee, much to McGee's annoyance. McGee (Sean Murray) is the probie who is a MIT graduate and a whizz with computers. He is like the little brother who wants to be so much like Tony and yet at times not so such. Pauley Perrette (Abby Sciuto) is the goth forensics specialist who is the fun and exciting sister that mothers warn their sons about. Cote de Pablo (Ziva David) is a former Moussad agent, she is the big sister who everyone is wary of. She is just as wary of forming attachments as she has lost a lot of people in her life and she can defend herself which seems to bond her with Gibbs. She if finding it hard to adjust to a different environment that she is not used to. Finally, there is the brilliant David McCallum who plays Donald 'Ducky' Mallard, he is the medical examiner. He is a kind grandfather who the others go to for advice. One of the best things about Ducky is he likes to stray from a subject into his many entertaining stories. I sometimes wish Gibbs would let him tell us the end of the stories as they sound truly fascinating.
I like that NCIS investigates a wide range of crimes involving the Navy and Marines such as murder, espionage, terrorism. It is interesting to see the different procedures, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service has compared to the police.
This series is not just one type of genre, it has many layers to it. There is comedy, drama, action, tension, twists and turns in one programme. The writing just manages to show it all in a good way and the writers are able to switch between the genres to carry the plot along. They clearly have good advisers because the episodes are sensibly concluded and there is never any thought that this wouldn't happen in real life.
It is created by Donald P. Bellisario who brought the world Jag, Quantum Leap, Airwolf, Magnum P.I who seems interested in Military themes as this features in his shows in some form or another.
I do hope there are more seasons of this programme to come because now I am really hooked and it has become another of my favourite shows on TV.