On The Cusp Of 500 Episodes, 'ncis' Continues To Thrive With No Signs Of Stopping

We’re utilized to seeing nan intrepid squad of naval typical agents connected CBS’ crime procedural “NCIS” moving together to lick nan toughest cases and bring down nan worst villains. But moreover they whitethorn beryllium stumped erstwhile faced pinch nan gargantuan situation of coming up pinch a deserving communicative to encapsulate nan unsocial feat of producing 500 episodes of television.

But nan squad tin remainder easy since that occupation fell to “NCIS” showrunner and executive shaper Steven D. Binder, who wrote Tuesday’s episode, “All Good Things” (with José Clemente Hernandez directing). He shares that ideas began popping up successful his mind erstwhile nan show’s 22nd play was wrapping up past year. “I started reasoning ‘What questions should I beryllium asking?’ I knew it had to beryllium thing large that resonates pinch nan fans and should beryllium worthy of nan 500th,” he says.

With its 500th episode, nan show will rank among nan longest-running scripted, live-action American prime-time series, down “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order.” But really “NCIS” began its travel to this uncommon milestone is simply a worthwhile communicative successful and of itself.

A segment from nan 500th section of “NCIS,” from left: Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), Jessica Knight (Katrina Law), Parker and Timothy McGee (Sean Murray).

(Michael Yarish / CBS Entertainment Inc.)

In April 2003, CBS’ celebrated navy procedural play bid “JAG” was utilized arsenic a backdoor aviator to present a squad of highly skilled typical agents from nan Naval Criminal Investigative Service, led by no-nonsense supervisory typical supplier Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). Working nether Gibbs was snappy typical supplier Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), quirky forensics master Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) and endearing main aesculapian examiner Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard (David McCallum).

“NCIS” premiered Sept. 23, 2003, pinch Gibbs, DiNozzo, Abby and Ducky, arsenic good arsenic typical supplier Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander) joining nan Washington, D.C., team. However, nan bid didn’t burst retired of nan gross arsenic nan juggernaut deed it would become. Instead, its freshman play classed an unspectacular No. 26 among each 2003-04 prime-time broadcast programs, but it was capable to support it connected nan aerial arsenic nan assemblage slow started to grow. By Season 3, nan bid was regularly landing successful nan apical 20. And by Season 6, it grew into a coagulated apical 5 show, and finally, successful Season 10, “NCIS” was nan No. 1 broadcast bid connected television.

It’s go a immense world hit, licensed successful complete 200 territories astir nan world, subtitled successful 35 languages, dubbed successful 12 languages. “NCIS” is now nan No. 1 TV franchise globally successful position of full minutes viewed.

Additionally, nan bid has spawned galore spinoffs, group successful Los Angeles, New Orleans and Hawaii, arsenic good arsenic 1 focused connected fan-favorite characters Tony and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo). Currently airing is simply a prequel series, “NCIS: Origins,” which follows a younger Gibbs (Austin Stowell, pinch Harmon narrating) successful his early NCIS days, and nan franchise’s first world spinoff, “NCIS: Sydney,” streaming connected Paramount+.

Clearly, “NCIS” has deed connected a winning look resulting successful enduring occurrence and 1 of nan factors for that, according to David Stapf, president, CBS Television Studios, is comfort. “You cognize what you’re going to get and it feels bully and you emotion it truthful you get that play dose or, nowadays, a regular dose because it’s everywhere,” he says.

In 2009, “NCIS” celebrated its 150th section pinch a cake-cutting ceremony. From left, bid regulars Rocky Carroll, David McCallum, Cote de Pablo, Mark Harmon, Sean Murray, Pauley Perrette, Michael Weatherly and impermanent prima Robert Wagner.

(Sonia Flemming / CBS)

And successful an era erstwhile clip slots aren’t arsenic do aliases dice for a broadcast series’ success, nan truth that, isolated from from 2021 to 2025, “NCIS” has consistently aired connected CBS Tuesdays astatine 8 p.m., shouldn’t beryllium dismissed. “I americium a believer that clip slots matter, but viewers will watch nan show everywhere,” says Amy Reisenbach, president, CBS Entertainment. “They watch it connected linear and they watch it connected Paramount+, wherever it’s consistently been a apical streaming performer.”

Like immoderate long-running series, formed members travel and go, and those departures tin sometimes change a show’s future. “NCIS,” however, has weathered a myriad of formed changes and nan assemblage continues to travel back. The champion illustration is erstwhile Harmon decided to measurement down successful 2021 — Gibbs decided a life alert sportfishing successful Alaska was much his speed. But it was astir intolerable to conceive of “NCIS” without Gibbs aliases Harmon (who continues arsenic an executive producer). What would nan early clasp for nan show and franchise?

“It’s honorable to opportunity that losing Mark Harmon was decidedly a small nerve-racking,” says Reisenbach. “He had been pinch nan show since nan opening and had been truthful synonymous pinch nan show but … nan DNA has remained nan same.”

Adds Stapf, “It’s a testament to nan writers arsenic good but you’re ever tense connected a show that’s moving erstwhile you alteration 1 small facet because it is that alchemy that makes this show work.” He credits nan writers for bringing successful new, fleshed-out characters that do much than capable gaps connected nan team. For example, erstwhile nan steely Gibbs was gone, Gary Cole’s typical supplier Alden Parker was markedly different pinch his laid-back leader vibes and quirky hobbies specified arsenic talking existent crime and mixing cocktails connected his online show.

But Gibbs hasn’t been relegated to nan past and his sanction still comes up occasionally, including successful nan 500th section case, though getting location for Binder was a journey. “On nan lawsuit broadside of things, I wanted thing that encompassed nan totality of nan show,” he says. However, having revisited a lawsuit from nan show’s very first episode, “Yankee White,” for a 2024 ceremony of nan franchise’s 1,000 episodes, that thought was out. “So, I thought, ‘Well, tin we spell backmost to section number two?’”

The reply was yes and this week’s installment nods to that 2003 episode. The squad meets up pinch a hopeless young man named Billy Fuentes (Austin Marques), a Marine’s son, who arsenic a boy, Gibbs promised that NCIS would ever beryllium location for him if he ever needed them. “We moreover sewage nan aforesaid actor, which was great,” says Binder.

Though nan lawsuit is connected to nan past and immoderate Easter eggs popular up, don’t expect it to beryllium a lighthearted top hits episode. “This is an arena section and 1 that’s going to alteration nan DNA of nan show and really nan show operates from present connected retired until we’re done,” says Brian Dietzen, who has played main aesculapian examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer since nan first season.

Part of nan large arena began astatine nan extremity of past week’s episode, erstwhile a stunned NCIS head Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) tells Parker that NCIS is being unopen down. Tuesday’s section picks up that thread pinch nan early of nan squad successful jeopardy and plays retired otherwise from nan “NCIS” norm. “I thought it mightiness beryllium bully to play pinch nan format a small bit, and that conscionable gives nan section immoderate energy,” teases Binder. “You person to support it caller and support it new, but you ever person to support it wrong nan aforesaid vein truthful that nan adjacent section won’t beryllium vastly different,” says Dietzen. “As an actor, it’s a situation to do, but it’s a situation that’s a really nosy 1 to accept.”

Rocky Carroll arsenic Leon Vance successful “All Good Things,” Tuesday’s section that picks up connected nan news that nan early of nan squad is successful jeopardy.

(Robert Voets / CBS)

A immense constituent of “NCIS” that has remained accordant from time 1 is that it’s much than a case-of-the-week procedural. “We person a character-driven procedural which, erstwhile we started, this benignant of a show was not really a thing,” says Sean Murray, who has played typical supplier Timothy McGee since nan first season. The character cites really fans loved learning years agone that McGee was besides moonlighting arsenic a writer of nan fictional “Deep Six” novels that characteristic heroic characters loosely based connected nan NCIS squad (think Tibbs alternatively of Gibbs, for example).

Carroll, who has played Vance since nan show’s 5th season, admits he didn’t deliberation he’d beryllium successful nan character’s shoes excessively agelong fixed astir shows don’t past arsenic agelong arsenic “NCIS” has. He signed onto nan show partially to reunite pinch Harmon, whom he antecedently worked pinch connected nan CBS aesculapian play “Chicago Hope.” “I virtually thought to myself, ‘Well, I made it to nan tail extremity of nan series. If it goes 7 aliases 8 seasons, I’ll get 2 aliases 3 seasons retired of it,’” he says, adding pinch a grin. “That was 18 seasons ago.”

And while nan original main formed that started connected “JAG” truthful galore years agone is agelong gone (though they occasionally move up for an section aliases two), newer formed members person now go nan vets. For example, Wilmer Valderrama joined successful Season 14 arsenic typical supplier Nick Torres, Diona Reasonover’s forensics intelligence Kasie Hines joined successful Season 15 and astatine nan extremity of Season 18, Katrina Law first appeared arsenic typical supplier Jessica Knight.

For Valderrama, he had first reservations astir joining nan bid and questioned what he could bring to specified an established show. “It was successful that first gathering wherever I realized very quickly that what ‘NCIS’ does really good is that it evolves pinch nan times and pinch its audience,” nan character says. “I realized location was an opportunity location to do thing very unique, to ray nan surface pinch different colors that I hadn’t painted pinch before.”

Wilmer Valderrama, who plays Nick Torres connected “NCIS,” joined nan show successful Season 14. (Robert Voets/CBS)

Diona Reasonover joined nan formed of “NCIS” successful Season 15, playing forensics intelligence Kasie Hines. (Michael Yarish/CBS)

Reasonover had nan arduous task of replacing instrumentality favourite Perrette, who near nan show aft 15 seasons successful 2018. Like Carroll, a long-running gig was nan past point connected her mind erstwhile she began playing nan energetic, joyful Kasie. “I didn’t cognize if [the producers] conscionable wanted to person a speedy blip of personification other [to capable Abby’s forensics role] and past move connected to personification different,” she says.

But that turned retired not to beryllium nan case. And successful different illustration of nan show reflecting nan times, Reasonover is proud of nan truth that nan “NCIS” beingness has had respective queer characters including Kasie. “It’s truthful bully because it conscionable feels for illustration existent life and I ever deliberation that that’s what group subordinate to,” she says.

Thanks to his breakout domiciled arsenic Fez connected “That 70’s Show,” Valderrama was already well-known earlier joining “NCIS” and he’s noticed which domiciled fans admit him for has changed. “At nan extremity of this season, I will person made 200 episodes of ‘NCIS’ and I did 200 of ‘That 70’s Show,’” he says. “I would opportunity it’s for illustration 57% Torres, but I still get Fez a batch since truthful galore group grew up pinch that guy.”

Since neither nan emotion from fans nor nan ratings are diminishing for “NCIS,” which was renewed successful January for a 24th play on pinch “Origins” and “Sydney,” is nan beingness done expanding aliases could we get much spinoffs?

“The doorway is ever going to beryllium unfastened because we cognize really successful ‘NCIS’ is and that nan fans person continued to bask caller iterations,” Reisenbach says.