# Ncis **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410 "2005-11-23T13:21:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/1 "2005-11-23T13:21:51Z")
**Entertainment Weekly** has a bit in this week’s issue called “Naval Gazing: Gillian Flynn tries – very hard – to figure out _NCIS_’s popularity.” I laughed, because (as I’ve admitted here before) I actually enjoy this show quite a bit. Ms. Flynn says: > [@](#): > > _NCIS_ is congenial, lightly risque, and briskly paced while avoiding unsettling images. Like its predecessor, _JAG, NCIS_ is solid, down-the-middle programming, for which there’s always an audience, albeit one that isn’t getting any younger. Ouch! She’s right, though. Although I found _JAG_ pretty unwatchable, I enjoy _NCIS_, which is presented in a more cartoony style, such that the complete implausibility of the science (there’s a tiny bit of saliva in the tiny bit of fiber stuck to this tiny piece of duct tape – it shouldn’t take more than five minutes to extract the DNA and come up with a suspect!), I just hang out and enjoy the ride. It helps, as Ms. Flynn points out, that the characters are all extremely likeable (unlike, say, oh, _CSI_). Last night’s episode was completely typical – to the usual experience of it being 8:55 with the crime unsolved, so I think “oh, this must be a two-parter” – only to have them wrap up the entire story (including a flashback montage of how the bad guy dunnit) in 2.5 minutes flat. Does anyone else watch? Anyone under the age of 30? And am I being overcritical to think that if they gave three minutes to the banter about Tony’s and whatshisface’s butts, they could give more than that to the wrap-up of the case? BTW, I like the new Israeli character (interesting that they chose a Chilean actress to play her – hey, an accent’s an accent!). I was worried about them replacing Kate, but liked the way they dealt with her death as part of the story, including people’s reactions this year. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/2 "2005-11-23T13:34:07Z")
I watch, but I am pushing 40, so I can’t help you demographically. 😃 I like the fact they’ve expanded Tony’s role this season. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/3 "2005-11-23T14:03:57Z")
Well, my husband and I are 34 and 35, respectively and have started to consider ourselves old. At 35, I just got out of the 18-34 demographic (that was depressing!). My husband was the one who got me watching it. He’d record it and watch it the following evening. It’s definitely light viewing. I agree that the characters are more likeable than on CSI. I don’t watch NCIS for the science anyway and I dropped CSI a while ago. If I’m going to watch a formulaic show, it may as well have quirky characters to keep me interested (see “House”). ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/4 "2005-11-23T14:23:09Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Last night’s episode was completely typical – to the usual experience of it being 8:55 with the crime unsolved, so I think “oh, this must be a two-parter” – only to have them wrap up the entire story (including a flashback montage of how the bad guy dunnit) in 2.5 minutes flat. I was also convinced it would be a two-parter. Yeah, it’s just a fun show to watch while waiting for _The Amazing Race_ to come on. I like the addition of Ziva, but I think she looks too much like Kate. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/5 "2005-11-23T15:16:53Z")
I don’t know if this will help. My mother watches every week. She is 70. I like the show and will watch when I remember it’s on. That isn’t very often. I’m 38. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/6 "2005-11-23T15:29:26Z")
I’m 44 so I fit the stereotype. For me, it’s more comeday than drama or crime show, the way Ally McBeal was the first season, before it started taking itself too seriously. With this show, I think it’s the opposites and good for them I ebjoyed the Tarrantino episode of CSI, since I think the marriage enhanced them both. The constraints of tv was good for QT who had to actually write some dialogue without “fuck” (I don’t have anything against prfanity, but it gets tiresome after a while), and at the same time brought some edge and darkness to an otherwise pretty formulaic show. The characters suddenly had emotions. Another kind of happy marriage is NCIS, where the Crime of The Week is not very interesting at all, nor how they solve it. So even if the drama ascpect might be what draws people to the show, I bet people stay because of the interesting and quirky characters and their interaction. Of course, it was comedy gold in some past episode when some woman asked Jethro what Ducky looked like when he was young and Gibbs replied: “Ilya Kuryakin” - who, btw, is 72. I thought he was at least ten years younger. Good for him. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/7 "2005-11-23T15:50:30Z")
Mmmmmmmm, Pauly Perrette, the ultimate perky goth. I don’t watch regularly, but if whatever is up against it is a rerun I’ll watch. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/8 "2005-11-23T15:50:48Z")
In one month and one day, I turn 30 and wreck your demographic. 🙂 I never watched _JAG_, but I’m a _CSI_ fan and _NCIS_ is just plain more fun–and I like Mark Harmon in just about anything he does, so that never hurts. I might prefer the Ziva/Tony banter to Kate’s constant nagging of him, but the addition of McGee last year is what made the show so much more watchable for me. The cases _are_ usually either obvious or ridiculous, but I spent my childhood reading Nancy Drew books, so obvious and ridiculous are right up my alley (and come on–who didn’t see the Chip thing coming the episode he was introduced?). It’s the banter and the interplay between the characters I like so much. I think Gibbs is probably one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever seen on television, and I actually _like_ that we hardly ever get any good information on what makes the man tick. And incidentally, the grin on his face after Ziva slapped Coroner Man around last night was _gold_. ---
**Author:** ![Glassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Glassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glassy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/9 "2005-11-23T16:31:32Z")
My dad watches it every week without fail. He is 71. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/10 "2005-11-23T16:46:15Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Mmmmmmmm, Pauly Perrette, the ultimate perky goth. Oh, yeah. Quite the cutie. The Israeli woman is cute too. And so was Kate. ---
**Author:** ![poeticyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@poeticyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poeticyde)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/11 "2005-11-23T16:47:52Z")
I just barely, 30 in two months break the demogarphic barrier as well. I mainly watch, like everyone else, because the characters are so damned likeable. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/12 "2005-11-23T16:57:27Z")
Wouldn’t miss NCIS! It’s my current favorite, and I’m waaaaay past 30. I liked JAG too, but maybe that was more because of getting to look at Catherine Bell than anything else. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/13 "2005-11-23T17:03:21Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > I like the addition of Ziva, but I think she looks too much like Kate. I think Ziva looks too much like Kate, too. I’m 39, mr.stretch is 45. I watch the show for Mark Harmon. I watched _The Deliberate Stranger_ on Lifetime(!) last week to watch Mark Harmon. I still miss “Reasonable Doubts”, the show he did with Marlee Maitlin. We record the show so we can skip commercials. This also allows us to pause and pick apart some lame aspect of the plot. Good times! ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/14 "2005-11-23T17:11:01Z")
I don’t watch the show, but my father actually taught one of the female leads. She was his teacher’s aide when she was in 8th grade in Miami! It isn’t the perky goth (who is cute) or Lauren Holly, and he says she comes early in the opening credits. Who is she? She called my dad semi-recently to tell him to watch for her, which was pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/15 "2005-11-23T17:16:50Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > I don’t watch the show, but my father actually taught one of the female leads. She was his teacher’s aide when she was in 8th grade in Miami! It isn’t the perky goth (who is cute) or Lauren Holly, and he says she comes early in the opening credits. Who is she? She called my dad semi-recently to tell him to watch for her, which was pretty cool. That would be either [Cote de Pablo](http://imdb.com/name/nm1580243/), the new girl, or [Sasha Alexander](http://imdb.com/name/nm0018734/) whose character was killed at the end of last season. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/16 "2005-11-23T17:18:30Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > I don’t watch the show, but my father actually taught one of the female leads. She was his teacher’s aide when she was in 8th grade in Miami! … Probably [url=http://imdb.com/name/nm1580243/]Cote de Pablo, the Chilean-born (but Miami-raised) actress who’s playing Israeli agent Ziva, who we’ve decided we like. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/17 "2005-11-23T17:21:01Z")
Okay, I can’t code, but **Draelin** can… ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/18 "2005-11-23T17:25:05Z")
It was the thought that counted, **twicks**. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/19 "2005-11-23T17:28:46Z")
I notice that people who were actually in the Navy shy away from both JAG and NCIS. Being one of these people, I do as well. Saves me a lot of exasperation. There certainly is such a thing as dramatic license, but a license doesn’t give you the right to do whatever the hell you want to do, IMHO. I don’t recognize the Navy in either show. I’m 35, if that helps. I got out of the Navy in 1998, and I drive past Mark Harmon’s NCIS headquarters building at the Navy Yard nearly every day. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410/20 "2005-11-23T17:40:18Z")
I’ve got a question. I got interrupted by a phone call, so must have missed something, so ended up confused. As they were all looking at Tony’s possible enemies, and at the end it turned out the Creepy Lab Guy was the one who famed him, and therefore if this was the case, why in the heck didn’t Tony recognize him when he was hired a few episodes ago? He had a goofy little mustache, but certainly that would not have disguised him from a crack investigator like Tony. What did I miss here? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncis/332410.md?page=2)