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NCIS
NCIS main cast
Format	Drama - Police procedural
Starring	see below
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	104 (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 a CBS network show about a 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. Its executive producer is Donald Bellisario. ^[1].

Contents 1 Overview 2 Main characters 3 Naming the show 4 Episodes 5 Filming location 6 U.S. television ratings 7 Changes 8 DVD releases 9 References 10 External links

NCIS is a television show that follows a 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 Harmon/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.

Main article: Characters of NCIS

Name	Portrayed by	Occupation	Status
Leroy Jethro Gibbs (2003-)	Mark Harmon	Supervisory Special Agent, NCIS	Regular cast member
Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard (2003-)	David McCallum	Chief Medical Examiner, NCIS	Regular cast member
Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (2003-)	Michael Weatherly	Senior Special Agent, NCIS	Regular cast member
Abigail "Abby" Sciuto (2003-)	Pauley Perrette	Forensic Specialist, NCIS	Regular cast member
Caitlin "Kate" Todd (2003-2005)	Sasha Alexander	Special Agent, NCIS	Former regular cast member
Thomas "Tom" Morrow (2003-2005)	Alan Dale	Director, NCIS	Former recurring cast member
Tobias C. Fornell (2003-)	Joe Spano	Senior Special Agent, FBI	Recurring cast member
Jimmy Palmer (2004-)	Brian Dietzen	Dr. Mallard's Assistant, NCIS	Recurring cast member
Timothy "Tim" McGee (2004-)	Sean Murray	Special Agent, NCIS	Regular cast member
Ziva David (2005-)	Cote de Pablo	Mossad Liaison Officer, NCIS	Regular cast member
Jenny Shepard (2005-)	Lauren Holly	Director, NCIS	Regular cast member
Dr. Jeanne Benoit (2006-2007)	Scottie Thompson	Doctor, Monroe University Hospital	Former recurring cast member
Hollis Mann (2006-2007)	Susanna Thompson	Lt. Colonel, US Army, CID retired	Former recurring cast member
Michelle Lee (2006-)	Liza Lapira	Special Agent, NCIS	Recurring cast member

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.

• See List of NCIS episodes.

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007)

NCIS is set in Washington DC area but is really filmed in Santa Clarita, CA ^[2]

• The Sound Stages are in Santa Clarita, California
• The Series is shot throughout southern California

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[3]
2	Tuesday 8:00PM	September 28, 2004	May 24, 2005	2004–2005	#22	13.63[4]
3	Tuesday 8:00PM	September 20, 2005	May 16, 2006	2005–2006	#16	15.3[5]
4	Tuesday 8:00PM	September 19, 2006	May 22, 2007	2006–2007	#18	14.5[6]
5	Tuesday 8:00PM	September 25, 2007	TBA	2007–2008	TBA	TBA

The second season finale, ending with the Agent Todd murder cliffhanger, propelled the series to become one of the most-watched programs throughout the summer of 2005, which then led to a growing audience throughout its third season. The series has been a solid performer in the ratings, especially for the latter half of the television season when it airs opposite FOX's mega-hit American Idol.

It was reported in May 2007 that NCIS creator and producer Donald Bellisario would be stepping down from the show^[7]. Bellisario's duties would likely be taken over by longtime show collaborators, including co-executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson and series writer Shane Brennan. So far, however, the credit at the end of the current season 5 episodes still list Donald Bellisario as Executive Producer.

Main article: NCIS 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	-	-

The first season DVD release omits the two-part introductory episode that aired as part of the eighth season of JAG; those episodes may be released when the eighth season of JAG is eventually released on DVD.

1. ^ http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117964967.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
2. ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0364845/locations
3. ^ "I.T.R.S. Ranking Report", June 2, 2004. 
4. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2004-05 primetime wrap", May 27, 2005. 
5. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2005-06 primetime wrap", May 26, 2006. 
6. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap", May 25, 2007. 
7. ^ 'NCIS' creator is leaving his show via Los Angeles Times May 8, 2007

• "NCIS" at Yahoo! TV
• Pauley Perrette's behind-the-scenes blog at CBS.com
• NCIS at the NCIS Wiki

v • d • e NCIS
Characters	Jethro Gibbs • Tony DiNozzo • Ziva David • Timothy McGee • Abby Sciuto • Ducky Mallard • Jenny Shepard • Caitlin Todd
Episodes	Pilot episodes • Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5
Other media	DVD releases
See also	Official website • Naval Criminal Investigative Service
List of episodes · List of characters · Former and recurring characters