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(More customer reviews)Television is an medium which cannibilizes its own successes, where one hit show inspires more variations on the same formula every pilot season. Those shows that invariably succeed do so because they take a formula and make it unique to their show. This is the case with NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It first appeared to be a combination of CSI and JAG, not shocking considering JAG producer Bellisario's involvement as creator and executive producer and CSI's overwhelming success. What it showed throughout its first season is that NCIS stands out in its own right through clever writing and great acting, making for solid, entertaining TV drawing a devoted fan base.
NCIS is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, responsible for crimes by and against members of the United States Navy and US Marine Corps. The team of NCIS agents introduced in Season 1 is led by former Marine Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), a tough no-nonsense leader and interrogator. The team also includes ex-homicide detective Special Agent Anthony DiNozzi (Michael Weatherly), former Secret Service Special Agent Kate Todd (Sasha Alexander), goth forensics expert Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), computer specialist and rookie Agent Tim McGee (Sean Murray),(McGee appears in a cameo role 6 episodes in and quickly becomes a reoccuring character. By season 2 he is a full timer) and quirky coroner Doctor Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum). Cote de Pablo joins the cast in season three as Mossad agent Ziva David, replacing Sasha Alexander as the female lead on the show. Each actor does an exceptional job developing their character, especially Perrette who makes Abby one of the best and most intriguing characters on TV.
In Season One, the team investigates a broad range of crimes from the apparent parachute death of a Marine, sniper attacks against a Marine recruiter, the disappearance of a service member, and the infiltration of a Navy base by a suspected terrorist. Pilot episode "Yankee White" is especially good. The twists and turns in Season One are frequent and the tension is kept high, but this is a show clearly developing its feel and pace. Season Two gets us more involved in the characters and the show by putting them in harm's way, creating a lasting emotional buy-in. Tony goes undercover and goes missing in "Chained", while Ducky is hunted by a killer in "The Meat Puzzle", and Kate and Tony are stuck in a biohazard room after exposure to a bio agent in "SWAK". Other standout episodes include "An Eye for an Eye", "Conspiracy Theory", and "Lt. Jane Doe". The season ending episode "Twilight" sees the return of the Mossad-trained diabolical agent Ari, who held Ducky and Kate captive in Season One.
Season three began with the two part episode Kill Ari 1 and 2, which examined the aftermath of Kate's death and the hunt for Ari. The introduction of Ziva and Director Jenny Shephard (Lauren Holly) seemed out of place and awkward considering the emotional tone, and it took five or six episodes for Ziva to be less of a cardboard character and more a part of the team. Her first really impressive episode came with Tony in the solid "Under Covers". Some of the better episodes include "Probie", when McGee shoots a man who turns out to be an undercover cop, "Mind Games", where Gibbs goes head-to-head with a serial killer, "Bait" which showcases a great performance by Weatherley. The season-ending Hiatus Parts 1 and 2 are decent episodes up to the last five minutes, which are incredibly rushed in order to get to the cliffhanger of Gibbs quitting NCIS.
The DVD box sets contains all 70 episodes in widescreen. Because of the quick turn-around times on the releases, the extras are somewhat limited to episode commentaries and some cast and crew discussions on the individual seasons. Picture and sound quality is good, but not exceptional. At the current prices, buying all three sets will save you $15 total, so you may want to consider buying them separate if you can find a better deal. Fans of the show will quickly snap this up. For those who have never watched the show before, if you liked JAG, CSI, or Bones, you will like this show. NCIS demonstrates exactly why this show is such a big hit for CBS and why it consistently places in the top 10. The DVD set is on shelves in April. Highly Recommended.
A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO
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