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 April 17, 2009 on FX (sky channel 164).
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.
Main cast
Main article: List of NCIS characters
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") 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") 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 Cort David Dayan Fisher Undercover Field Agent, 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)
Production
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.
Filming location
NCIS is set in the Washington D.C. area but is filmed in Santa Clarita, California.
* The sound stages are in Santa Clarita, California
* 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. It turns out, due to a disagreement with series star Mark 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.
NCIS - Toxic (Season 6, Episode 21)
When a government scientist goes missing, Abby is recruited to carry on his work, but the team worries that she may meet the same fate as her predecessor 43:41 minutes
