NCIS: No more Gibbs?

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  • Cally's mumCally's mum Posts: 4,953
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    Has anyone actually looked at what Bellisario has done in the last 30 years or so.

    Just to name a few

    Quantum Leap
    Magnum PI
    Airwolf
    BSG (The original)
    Quincy ME

    As well as writing an Episode of Kojak

    He also did Tales of the Gold Monkey - which was wonderful (if shortlived).

    I loved the original series of BSG - I didn't watch the remake. I wasn't interested. :) The original series brought me together with some new friends and FB reconnected us a few years ago (although we never lost touch entirely).
  • HorizonPeteHorizonPete Posts: 181
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    Si_Crewe wrote: »
    S'funny, I sometimes wonder if there's a big sign on the wall of the writers office saying "REMEMBER: This is NOT a soap opera. It's a cop show!"

    I kinda respect them for sticking to that philosophy so doggedly and not turning it into a soap opera but I think they could afford to show a little more of their personal lives.

    Yeah I agree with that, a lot of the other police procedurals rely heavily on personal storylines. Now that I've thought it over a bit they have developed the characters quite well.
    They've developed McGee's character nicely since season 2, going from a really green probie to being a decent agent and of course Gibbs' past has been dealt with quite a lot. Ziva has gone from hardass Mossad agent to mellowed hardass NCIS agent :D. Even Tony's matured...a bit, I think they could do a bit more with him though.
  • HorizonPeteHorizonPete Posts: 181
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    Has anyone actually looked at what Bellisario has done in the last 30 years or so.

    Just to name a few

    Quantum Leap
    Magnum PI
    Airwolf
    BSG (The original)
    Quincy ME


    As well as writing an Episode of Kojak

    I was a little bit young - not even born (1988) - for those :D
  • carl.waringcarl.waring Posts: 35,548
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    Well my Tivo recorded an episode tonight that it thinks is episode 20, yet it's still scheduled for Friday as well.
    Yeah. Mine too. It was a repeat of last weeks though. Better it records it twice than not at all ;)
  • JasonJason Posts: 76,557
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    Yeah. Mine too. It was a repeat of last weeks though. Better it records it twice than not at all ;)

    Aha, that explains it. No mind, I haven't watched it for 5 weeks anyway - can't really muster up the enthusiasm when i've had Arrow to watch, as well as Castle, Defiance, Revolution, Warehouse 13 and so on and so on and so on ... it really is sitting at the bottom of my list of shows to catch up on at the moment.
  • MarkynottsMarkynotts Posts: 5,255
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    Has anyone actually looked at what Bellisario has done in the last 30 years or so.

    Just to name a few

    Quantum Leap
    Magnum PI
    Airwolf
    BSG (The original)
    Quincy ME


    As well as writing an Episode of Kojak

    You forgot possibly one of the more important shows from your list - JAG, which gave us the spin off NCIS
  • Si_CreweSi_Crewe Posts: 40,202
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    Markynotts wrote: »
    You forgot possibly one of the more important shows from your list - JAG, which gave us the spin off NCIS

    See, that's just another example of the hackneyed way DP usually works IMO.

    Shows like Ally McBeal and LA Law were popular at the time, as were movies like Top Gun.
    Bung 'em in a blender together and you get JAG.
  • petelypetely Posts: 2,994
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    Si_Crewe wrote: »
    S'funny, I sometimes wonder if there's a big sign on the wall of the writers office saying "REMEMBER: This is NOT a soap opera. It's a cop show!"

    I kinda respect them for sticking to that philosophy so doggedly and not turning it into a soap opera but I think they could afford to show a little more of their personal lives.
    If the writers went down that route, NCIS would just merge into all the other cops-with-personal-demons shows.

    The things that make it stand apart from all the other cop shows is that they focus on THE JOB and that the writers have resisted the temptation to "big it up" over the years - expanding the role, making the show more sensationional. Although some of the "Ra Ra, America is so wonderful" themes are a bit hard to take, I reckon that the worst NCIS episodes are generally the ones where <somebody's> mother/father/family-member gets into the story.
  • HorizonPeteHorizonPete Posts: 181
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    petely wrote: »
    If the writers went down that route, NCIS would just merge into all the other cops-with-personal-demons shows.

    The things that make it stand apart from all the other cop shows is that they focus on THE JOB and that the writers have resisted the temptation to "big it up" over the years - expanding the role, making the show more sensationional. Although some of the "Ra Ra, America is so wonderful" themes are a bit hard to take, I reckon that the worst NCIS episodes are generally the ones where <somebody's> mother/father/family-member gets into the story.

    They're quite subtle about showing more about the characters, while retaining the focus on the case.

    They're also good at not throwing too much on contentious issues unlike some shows. They're not in to making grand political/social statements.
  • petelypetely Posts: 2,994
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    They're quite subtle about showing more about the characters, while retaining the focus on the case.
    Yes. It's interesting that all the main characters in NCIS are "Peter Pan" types. They've never grown up at all in the 10 years the show has been going. None of them has ever been promoted, settled down, got married or started a family. They are still essentially the same people as when they joined the show.

    It's a mistake that a lot of shows make: to try to make each series "bigger" than the one before, until eventually they run out of road and can't make it more sensational, bigger crisies or more expensive sets / plots. Although NCIS has moved some of its plots waaaay outside what you'd expect an NCIS unit to do (basically just naval policemen), it's good that the personalities and "flavour" of the show is timeless. I think the secret to that is NOT revealing much about the characters outside of the show's central story.
  • JasonJason Posts: 76,557
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    Finally managed to make my way through the last half dozen episodes of Season 10. The finale just ended up very "Meh". It smacked of the usual plot device we see in shows like this where something dramatic happens and the episode starts with a "12 Hours Earlier".

    Or in this case, it would be "Four Months Earlier" ..

    I'll probably watch the resolution in Episode 1 of Season 11 and just finally drop the show because it's not worth wasting time with it if i'm not enjoying it any more.
  • 19741974 Posts: 908
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    Si_Crewe wrote: »
    S'funny, I sometimes wonder if there's a big sign on the wall of the writers office saying "REMEMBER: This is NOT a soap opera. It's a cop show!"

    I kinda respect them for sticking to that philosophy so doggedly and not turning it into a soap opera but I think they could afford to show a little more of their personal lives.

    It's strength lies within it not going down the soap opera route. I find it gets the balance just right with respects to how much you get to see of the personal side of the characters. Your offered a glimpse in the main, a scratch below the surface without going too deep, which leaves you interested enough in the characters to care about them, but not deviating from the storyline. They also play the 'family' card as in the NCIS team itself being a family, which takes away the need to extend into their own individual family scenarios, apart from the occasional one to one dysfunctional element, such as DiNozzo and his father, McGee likewise, Abby finding a brother she didn't know about, Ziva and her father and brother, or Gibbs himself and the demons and simmering pain of having lost a wife and daughter. The character of Director Vance has blossomed over time. There are also the sideshows of the various, and often humorous double acts Gibbs/DiNozzo, Gibbs/Fornell, DiNozzo/McGee, Abby/McGee, Ducky/Palmer etc.

    They also tend to deal in mild story arcs. The latest ones being Harper Dearing's explosives centric grudge against NCIS in season 9, and in season 10 the very personal hunt for Bodnar by Ziva with the blessing of Vance, and the subsequent internal manhunt of Gibbs by Parsons in the aftermath. All of this is achieved in a manner where the feel of the show remains 'comfortable', and there's nothing wrong with a little bit of comfortable for an hour once a week. Throw in a bit of patriotism here and there and I can see exactly why it's such a huge show in the US.
  • donna255donna255 Posts: 10,121
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    petely wrote: »
    Yes. It's interesting that all the main characters in NCIS are "Peter Pan" types. They've never grown up at all in the 10 years the show has been going. None of them has ever been promoted, settled down, got married or started a family. They are still essentially the same people as when they joined the show.

    It's a mistake that a lot of shows make: to try to make each series "bigger" than the one before, until eventually they run out of road and can't make it more sensational, bigger crisies or more expensive sets / plots. Although NCIS has moved some of its plots waaaay outside what you'd expect an NCIS unit to do (basically just naval policemen), it's good that the personalities and "flavour" of the show is timeless. I think the secret to that is NOT revealing much about the characters outside of the show's central story.

    Jimmy Palmer has moved forward a lot, he got married we learnt about the planning. Now adopting a baby with his wife. His character has moved forward in the show now more on an equal with Ducky. For years he was just the side kick who Ducky told his stories to.
  • sherisgirlsherisgirl Posts: 2,404
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    Just caught up with the last episode, and there was me waiting to see who was getting out of the car, no he cant hes his old friend.
  • JasonJason Posts: 76,557
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    sherisgirl wrote: »
    Just caught up with the last episode, and there was me waiting to see who was getting out of the car, no he cant hes his old friend.

    He won't shoot him unless the actor has expressed a desire to leave the show. And even then, it would make no sense unless it's an accident. And it's unlikely in the extreme that a former military sniper would have an accident like that with a shot like that.
  • Smithy1204Smithy1204 Posts: 4,352
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    sherisgirl wrote: »
    Just caught up with the last episode, and there was me waiting to see who was getting out of the car, no he cant hes his old friend.

    I suspect set-up. Fornell moves out of way at the last second and whoever gets out the the car next is the target?

    I like that Palmer has become more confident and equal over the series as donna255 said, and adopting with his wife, that's a nice character development. And by the sounds of it there's a bit of that with McGee and his girlfriend too.

    The Tony and Ziva thing is about right I think. Enough that their fans can get all excited about it, but not enough that it's becoming too soapy and taking over the show. Just little moments sensed between them, Tony especially in the last few episodes.
  • JasonJason Posts: 76,557
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    I actually think what will happen is that we'll see someone appear from behind Fornell to attack him and Gibbs shoots him to save Fornell. It wouldn't really make any logical sense for Gibbs to shoot whoever is getting out of the limo because it would put him and Fornell at odds and I don't think the writers would go that far.
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