What does NCIS stand for?
Initially, the series was named Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service because CBS was unsure if people would tune in to a show simply named NCIS because they wouldn’t know what the acronym stood for. It isn’t as clear as FBI. Then the title was shortened to NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service and finally to just NCIS. Maybe CBS was right, because in its first few seasons, the series wasn’t a huge hit. It wasn’t until Season 3 that it made the Top 20, and by Season 6, it was in the Top 5, and then spent several years as the No. 1-rated drama, not just in the U.S., but in the world. The show was created by Donald P. Bellisario, whose credits include several series with military characters. It could be due to the fact that Bellisario served in the U.S. Marines Corps from 1955 to 1959, earning the rank of sergeant. His other series with military or ex-military characters are Magnum, P.I. as Thomas Magnum in the original version of the series was a Vietnam vet; JAG, which is about the Judge Advocate General Corps, the Navy branch concerned with military law; Airwolf, which starred Jan-Michael Vincent as a Vietnam vet; and Quantum Leap, in which Al Calavicciwas a former Naval Aviator and POW during the Vietnam war.
Who was in the original NCIS cast?
Mark Harmon as Special Agent Leroy Jethro GibbsMichael Weatherly as Anthony “Tony” DiNozzoSasha Alexander as Caitlin “Kate” ToddDavid McCallum as Donald “Ducky” Mallard Sean Murray as Timothy McGee appeared as a guest star in eight episodes of the first season, becoming a series regular in Season 2. Many people mistakenly believe that Cote de Pablo as Ziva David was an original cast member because she plays such a major role in the history of the series. Ziva didn’t join NCIS until after Kate was killed at the end of the second season, assassinated by Ziva’s half brother Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin), who Ziva was later forced to kill to save Gibbs’ life.
Who’s played the NCIS Directors?
Alan Dale played the first NCIS Director, Tom Morrow, as a recurring character in Season 1 and 2. He eventually moved over to Homeland, opening the door for Jenny Shepard. Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly) joined NCIS as a series regular in 2005 and played her until 2008. Jenny was an interesting choice because she had been Gibbs’ former partner, and there were still romantic sparks between them. She was killed in action in 2008. Jenny, who knew she was ill and didn’t have much time, died from bullet wounds sustained in a gunfight in an abandoned diner in the Southern California desert, trying to protect Gibbs’ identity. Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) took over the director role upon Jenny Shepard’s death in 2008 and has continued to serve ever since. Missed the NCIS: LA finale? Find out which two characters left NCIS: Los Angeles during the Season 12 finale.
