NCIS

NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama 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 (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 seven full seasons and has gone into syndicated reruns on USA Network, Sleuth and Ion Television. Donald Bellisario, who created JAG as well as the well-known series Magnum, P.I. and Quantum Leap, is co-creator and executive producer of NCIS.
NCIS was originally referred to as Navy NCIS during Season 1; however, "Navy" was later dropped from the title as it was redundant. NCIS returned for a seventh season on September 22, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. EDT and was followed by its spin-off series NCIS: Los Angeles starring Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J. On May 19, 2010, CBS renewed NCIS for an eighth season,which began airing on September 21, 2010.

Premise

NCIS 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 United States) as being distinguished by its comic 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)—crimes punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice by confinement of more than one year—within the Department of the Navy. The MCRT is frequently assigned to high profile cases such as the death of the U.S. 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 MCRT is led by Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). Gibbs’s team is composed of Special Agent and Senior Field Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) and Probationary Special Agent (formerly 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 was then killed by his half-sister Ziva at the beginning of season three. The team is assisted in their investigations by Chief Medical Examiner Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum), Medical Assistant Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), who replaced Gerald Jackson (Pancho Demmings), and Forensic Specialist Abigail "Abby" Sciuto (Pauley Perrette).
It has been revealed through flashbacks that the 'original' head of the MCRT was Special Agent Mike Franks, who led the unit when it was part of the Naval Investigative Service (NIS), the predecessor agency of the NCIS. He recruited Gibbs shortly after Gibbs' retirement from the Marine Corps, eventually retiring himself some years later. After Franks' departure, Gibbs recruited DiNozzo from the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Section. The two were briefly joined by Vivian Blackadder, whom Gibbs recruited from the FBI. In the second part of the NCIS pilot, Blackadder allowed her emotions to nearly derail an anti-terror operation in Spain. Gibbs is noticeably disappointed, Blackadder is not present in the series' first regular episode. McGee first appears as a Field Agent assigned to the Norfolk Field Office. He uses his computer skills to aid the MCRT in subsequent investigations through the rest of the first season, until he is officially promoted with his own desk at the Navy Yard in the beginning of the second season.
NCIS is currently led by Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll). The first director seen in the series, Thomas Morrow (Alan Dale), left after being promoted 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, thus making Vance the director of the whole organization.

Main article: List of NCIS characters

Character	Portrayed by	Role	Main cast seasons	Recurring cast seasons	Short Biography
Leroy Jethro Gibbs	Mark Harmon	NCIS Special Agent in Charge	1–Present	N/A	Gibbs is a Special Agent In Charge of the Major Case Response Team and former Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps until 1991 when his first wife Shannon and daughter Kelly were killed while in the protection of NIS. After Gibbs had taken revenge on the drug dealer who killed his wife and daughter, he came back to Mike Franks and asked for a job.
Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo	Michael Weatherly	NCIS Senior Field Agent	1–Present	N/A	DiNozzo is a Special Agent and Senior Field Agent of the Major Case Response Team and former Peoria, Philadelphia, and Baltimore police officer before joining NCIS in 2001. Gibbs considers DiNozzo to be a younger version of himself, using his "gut" to solve cases, in the episode "Collateral Damage"
Ziva David	Cote de Pablo	NCIS Probationary Field Agent	3–Present	3	David is a Special Agent and Probationary Field Agent of Major Case Response Team since season seven. For the four years previous was on the same team as Mossad Liaison Officer. Before joining NCIS David was in the Israeli Army for two years.
Abigail "Abby" Sciuto	Pauley Perrette	Forensics Specialist	1–Present	N/A	Sciuto is a forensics specialist assigned to the NCIS Major Case Response Team. She has an affinity for Gothic fashion and the fictional brand "Caf-Pow" caffeinated beverages.
Timothy McGee	Sean Murray	NCIS Junior Field Agent	2–Present	1	McGee is a Special Agent and Junior Field Agent of the Major Case Response Team. He has a degree in Computer Forensics from MIT and, along with Abby Sciuto, acts as the team's technology specialist.
Leon Vance	Rocky Carroll	NCIS Director	6–Present	5	Vance, who was formerly the NCIS Deputy Director and right hand to Jenny Shepard became the Director of NCIS following her death at the end of the fifth season.
Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard	David McCallum	NCIS Chief Medical Examiner	1–Present	N/A	Mallard is the Chief Medical Examiner assigned to NCIS, he spent some time as a Medical Examiner in Vietnam, Bosnia and Afghanistan before working for NCIS. He was close friends with Jenny Shepard and is best friends with Gibbs.
Jenny Shepard	Lauren Holly	NCIS Director	3–5	3	Shepard was the second director of NCIS, and formerly worked under Gibbs in Europe and was his lover. She was killed in "Judgement Day Part 1" after a former NCIS target, Natasha, hired assassins to kill her. Shepard managed to kill all of the assassins with the help of Mike Franks, but died from her wounds.
Caitlin "Kate" Todd	Sasha Alexander	NCIS Field Agent	1–2	3	Todd worked as a Secret Service Agent until the beginning of Season 1, and was tasked with presidential protection detail. She resigned from the Secret Service and was offered a job at NCIS by Gibbs. She was killed by double agent Ari Haswari at the end of season 2. Her death hit the NCIS team hard, with Gibbs leaving flowers on the roof where she was shot, and, following her death, not letting anybody touch her desk or locker at NCIS.
Jimmy Palmer	Brian Dietzen	Assistant Medical Examiner to Dr. Donald Mallard	N/A	1–Present	Palmer is the assistant Medical Examiner to Dr. Mallard since late season one. Although normally credited in a recurring role, Dietzen has been credited as "Also starring" since Season 6.
Tobias Fornell	Joe Spano	Senior FBI Agent	N/A	1–Present	Fornell is a senior FBI Special Agent. He and Gibbs share an ex-wife, who wiped out their bank accounts in turn when she left. They have a spiky camaraderie.
Mike Franks	Muse Watson	Retired NIS Special Agent in Charge	N/A	3–Present	Franks is a retired Special Agent with NIS and mentor to Gibbs. He is also close friends with DiNozzo and was close friends with Jenny Shepard up until her death.
Trent Kort	David Dayan Fisher	CIA Field Operative	N/A	4–Present	Kort is an undercover CIA Special Agent who always seems to have his own devious goals to pursue. Gibbs regards him as potentially very dangerous and does not trust him.
M. Allison Hart	Rena Sofer	Attorney	N/A	7–Present	Hart is an Attorney at law, and potential love interest for Gibbs.
Damon Werth	Paul Telfer	Marine Corporal	N/A	5, 7	Marine Corporal Damon Werth appeared in one episode of season 5 and returned as a recurring character in season 7 for two episodes. Potential love interest for Ziva.
Thomas Morrow	Alan Dale	NCIS Director	N/A	1–3	Morrow was the first Director of NCIS seen in the series. He resigned as Director of NCIS in "Kill Ari Part 1" after being offered a job at the Department of Homeland Security, and was succeeded by Jenny Shepard.
Gerald Jackson	Pancho Demmings	Assistant Medical Examiner to Dr. Donald Mallard	N/A	1, 3	Jackson was the Assistant Medical Examiner to Dr. Mallard during the first season until he was shot by Ari Haswari in "Bête Noire". He was Dr. Mallard's assistant two years prior to this and went into rehab after the incident.
Paula Cassidy	Jessica Steen	NCIS Special Agent in Charge	N/A	1–4	Cassidy was a Special Agent with NCIS and was temporarily assigned to Gibbs' team following the death of Kate Todd, before getting her own team based in the Pentagon. She was killed by a suicide bomber in "Grace Period".
Michelle Lee	Liza Lapira	NCIS Special Agent	N/A	4–6	Lee was a Special Agent with NCIS who was assigned to Special Agent DiNozzo's team at the start of Season 4, she was reassigned back to the Legal Department after Gibbs returned, and recurred during the fourth season, she then returned to Gibbs' team at the end of Season 5 in "Judgment Day Part 2" after being suspected as a mole, and was shot by Gibbs in "Dagger" (to hit her captor behind her) after it was revealed that her sister was captured and used to blackmail her.
Hollis Mann	Susanna Thompson	Army CID Investigator	N/A	4–5	Mann was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army assigned to the CID. She later retired, but remained a love interest of Gibbs throughout seasons 4–5.
Jeanne Benoit	Scottie Thompson	Doctor	N/A	4–5	Jeanne was a Doctor at Monroe University Hospital and daughter of arms dealer René Benoit (also known as La Grenouille). She was used as part of an undercover operation and was the love interest of Special Agent DiNozzo in seasons 4–5; her last appearance was in "Internal Affairs".