In its seventh season, “NCIS” has officially defied all TV rules, by becoming TV’s No. 1 show when most shows of the same vintage are on their way out.
Despite maintaining the same format, cast and time slot for years, the show has bulldozed flashier, more talked-about series.
“It defies all conventional wisdom,” says industry analyst Brad Adgate of Horizon Media. “Shocked, surprised, amazed, might be the words for it — I can’t think of any show, in recent history, that has gotten a huge spike like this without any real notable changes.”
The show has also not been diminished by the creation this fall of a spin-off, “NCIS: Los Angeles,” which follows “NCIS” on Tuesday night.
Says Adgate: “You run that risk of audience erosion because [spin-offs] can speed up viewer fatigue of the [original] show and that’s hasn’t happened.” Adgate mentions “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” as examples of the spin-off siphoning strength from the mother show.
The way things are going for “NCIS,” Adgate says, “it could give ‘American Idol’ a run for its money. We’ll see in January — stay tuned, as they say.”
Here’s a preview of what “NCIS” has in store for you this season.
* Gibbs’ boat resurfaces
For five seasons, special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) could be seen building a sailboat by hand. Over the years, his hobby has helped Gibbs wheedle confessions out of suspects, soothe upset souls and romance the ladies. At the end of last season though, the boat was conspicuously missing from his basement. Gibbs never explained what happened to it. The boat returns this season as a pivotal piece of evidence in a murder investigation.
* “Blood” connection
Best known for playing Iraq war veteran Terry Bellefleur on “True Blood,” actor Todd Lowe — looking like a windswept Richard Branson — is working on “NCIS” during his off-season. He was introduced as NCIS agent Chad Dunham in this season’s premiere, helping Gibbs and Co. track down where Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) was being held hostage in Africa. Lowe will be back for another two episodes, one this Tuesday night, and another in November.
il resto dell'articolo, contiene spoiler
* Geek in love
While fans have been told that special agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) is actually quite popular with the ladies, the only relationship fans ever knew he had was with forensic scientist Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) — and that was before he transferred to NCIS HQ. After years of being ruthlessly mocked by special agent Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), who’s been known to call him “McGeek,” McGee is finally going to get his own love story with someone new that he meets in a coffee shop. It goes without saying that Abby is going to something to say about the “romantic entanglement.”
* Gibbs’ crib
Believe it or not, Gibbs doesn’t just live in his basement. Yes, viewers, for the first time ever, you’ll get to see what the rest of his house looks like. Or at least his living room. If you’re lucky, in another seven years, you might get to see his kitchen too.
* Halloween shenanigans
The last two times “NCIS” did Halloween-themed episodes, one featured Abby dressed as a jaw-dropping Marilyn Monroe (“Witch Hunt,” 10/31/06) and a boat filled with ghosts (“Chimera,” 10/30/07), revealing Ziva’s belief in the supernatural. This year, the NCIS agents will endure another nutty Halloween, trying to figure out why an infamous practical joker was killed.
* A Gibbs’ family reunion, part 2
CBS reports that it’s possible that Ralph Waite will return to play Gibbs’ dad, Jackson. The characters was introduced last season in the “Heartland” episode that took Gibbs, McGee and Ziva to Stillwater, Penn. — Gibbs’ hometown. That the NCIS boss had a dad surprised his fellow agents. As McGee succinctly said to Jackson Gibbs, “I think I once heard him refer to you as dead.”
* Another crossover between “NCIS” and “NCIS: Los Angeles”
NCIS director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) has popped up on the “NCIS” spin-off, but now someone from “NCIS: LA” is returning the favor — it’s not who you’d expect though. In Tuesday’s episode of “NCIS: Los Angeles,” the Office of Special Projects team uncovers a suspect, Lee Wuan Kai (Kelly Hu), from Vance’s past while investigating the murder of an American of North Korean descent. She’ll pop again later this season on “NCIS” for a final showdown with Vance.
* “NCIS” enters the Dark Ages
The NCIS team has dealt with everything from serial killers to stalkers and assassins on its home turf. This season, they’ll find themselves dealing with something a little more harrowing: a state-wide blackout.
This leaves the investigators no choice but to solve the entire case without the use of the modern technology they rely so heavily upon, including Abby’s beloved Major Mass Spec(trometer).
* Ziva’s precarious new position
Now that Ziva’s parted ways with her father, Mossad director Eli David, the former Mossad liaison officially joins NCIS, and she’s starting at the bottom. She’s the new “probie” — probationary agent — on the team. Ziva will also get interrogated by Gibbs and Vance. Is it even necessary to say who will play good cop and who will play bad cop?
* Mike Franks graces “NCIS” again
Everything that makes Gibbs a great agent, he learned from his cantankerous old boss, Mike Franks (Muse Watson). Expect Franks to continue calling Gibbs “probie” and to drop some more tasty hints about Gibbs’ past.
l'NCIS e' diventato il N1 come ascolti
Edited by francicross - 6/12/2010, 11:36
Sono sempre felice quando si sa qualcosa di piu' sul privato di Gibbs e a proposito di questo, 
Vi ringrazio di avere nascosto le anticipazioni sulla settima serie, io aspetto gli episodi in Italiano quindi non voglio leggere gli spoiler