Some of you wanted to know why a mere procedural is TV's #1 show? Here's an attempt at an explanation:

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by Susan C. Young, msnbc.com contributor

"NCIS" has to have one of the clunkiest and least descriptive titles on TV. Really, what’s an NCIS? At least with How I Met Your Mother you can do the cool HIMYM.

The military procedural show about the Naval Criminal Investigative Services has already been broken down to an acronym that fails to click. But that hasn’t stopped viewers from making it the No. 1 show on television.

And not just squeaking by at No. 1. With more than 20 million viewers, “NCIS” has four million more viewers than the No. 2 show, "Dancing with the Stars,” and four million more than the second highest-rated drama — spin-off sibling "NCIS: Los Angeles."

"NCIS” gives viewers a nice self-contained mystery each week, while allowing an ongoing story that rewards the regulars. But it never ceases to find inviting ways to bring newcomers into the inner circle. In the first episode of this season, agent Tony DiNozzo, was interrogated by a terrorist. Tony gave up all kinds of intimate information about the people in his department, which allowed those who haven’t been loyal viewers to gain insight into each of the principals. It was a refresher course even fans probably didn’t mind taking since it was filled with the sly humor “NCIS” loyalists love.

Despite the show’s popularity, TV critics have long shoved this viewer-friendly baby into a corner. "NCIS" lacks the hipness of "Lost," or newcomers "Glee" or "Modern Family."

So what do the viewers know that apathetic critics don’t? Here are five reasons "NCIS" shouldn’t be overlooked:

1. The military angle
“NCIS” started out as a spin-off of “JAG,” a much-snappier titled NBC series about the United States Navy’s Judge Advocate General corps of attorneys. CBS picked up the series after NBC canceled it — just one of many false steps NBC had made on its way down the food chain. ”NCIS” spun-off from “JAG” in 2003 and has been steadily climbing in the ratings.

The ratings rise could be due to a number of reasons, but you can’t discount the fact that there are no other broadcast series currently on the air that depict military life, even in a slight way. In a nation filled with veterans and military families, “NCIS” speaks to service to your country with every episode relating to a case involving the military, and ongoing storylines centering on loyalty, including Ziva David’s sense of duty to Israel. With the flag waving proudly in the opening credits to the respect given to the team's leader, former Marine sniper Jethro Gibbs, the red, white, and blue run through this show.

2. Humor
While other military series, including "JAG" and "The Unit," haven’t spent much time in the laugh department, ”NCIS” loves diving into the chuckle zone. Sure, most of the jokes are corny, but all in good-natured fun. The team indulges in plenty of buddy humor, and can’t seem to let a good pun go unsaid. After finding out in one episode that the killer used a Rock Star-like guitar game controller as a murder weapon, NCIS investigator Ziva responds, “So our killer is an axe murderer.” Ouch.

3. Leroy Jethro Gibbs
One of the great characters on TV, played to perfection by Mark Harmon. He’s a man who doesn’t talk much, but says volumes with a look. In the first episode of this season, Tony describes Gibbs as a functional mute. He’s been married four times, divorced three times. His first wife and his daughter were murdered, although no one on his team knows about them. He’s addicted to coffee and has a protective relationship with young forensic scientist Abby Sciuto. After meeting a man who had been abusive to Abby, Gibbs told him the only reason why he was still walking was because he hadn't heard about him until that day. Make sure Gibbs is always on your side. Gibbs is the dad everyone wants to please. And he doesn’t have much patience with long-winded explanations. “Bottom line” cuts most of the chatter off in mid-sentence.

4. Two very bad girls
Who can resist a couple of bad girls? Not "NCIS" viewers. Tony under truth serum by the terrorist describes Abby as “ A paradox wrapped in an oxymoron surrounded by a contradiction in terms. Sleeps in a coffin. Really, the happiest Goth you’ll ever meet.” The irresistible Pauley Perrette plays Abby, who sports leather leather and tattoos, and blurts first, thinks later. Ziva’s the tough Mossad agent who just this season joined NCIS. She’s a killing machine, but has found her gentler side with the unit. Sort of. She's still the girl who killed her half-brother even if it was to save Gibbs, or perhaps due to orders from her ruthless dad.

5. Three generations of hot guys
That’s right. We have nothing but sizzle coming from these men of "NCIS." David McCallum plays chief medical examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard. One time Gibbs was asked what Ducky looked like when he was younger. He responded “Illya Kuryakin.” That was the Russian spy McCallum played in the 1960s TV show “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” McCallum was the Brad Pitt of his day.

Then we have Mark Harmon, the former UCLA quarterback who was voted People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1986. He looks like Paul Newman, and remarkably just keeps getting better with age.

And finally the current crop of hunky guys represented by Michael Weatherly, who plays the wild card Tony and once was engaged to his “Dark Angel” co-star Jessica Alba. For the nerd herd, we have cyber cutie Sean Murray, who plays the series techno-savvy agent Tim McGee. McGee’s often unaware of his hot guy status, as we learned this season when he had to retake his polygraph test just because the woman conducting the test wanted to see him again.
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That about covers it, I think.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PaulHan,

No explanation is really needed. They have a dumbed down show that can appeal to the masses (mostly people who are getting on in years). I have no problem with the show being popular...I just don't know a single person who watches it so the ratings being that huge just seems off to me. They really shouldn't be surprised they aren't being praised or considered hip for playing to the lowest common denominator though, but I think the show runners probably get that

But calling Leroy Gibbs one of the great characters on TV is laughable to say the least...

quote:

One of the great characters on TV

FALSE.

Was this article written by a septuagenarian.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: G.Penn,

It's funny that CBS has the most rated shows on TV, but doesn't get any Emmy love (I still try to forget about Cryer's winning an Emmy ). Deservedly so. They don't know anything about original programming. They're making those procedurals over and over, so they need to know that viewers with sophisticated taste in television won't watch their shows. If they are afraid of taking chance at demanding and smart shows, they should stop complaining about Emmys snubbing them. Procedurals are NOT good shows. Entertaining? Maybe. But NO good.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Scout,

quote:

Originally posted by Scout:
Procedurals are NOT good shows. Entertaining? Maybe. But NO good.

I think the original CSI: has been great most seasons.

House had had at least 1 stellar season as well.

Boston Legal was a great show if you liked that kind of thing.

The first season of Lost could be argued a procedural as well and that was great.

Being or not being a procedual has nothing to do with a show being good or not - it is a very broad term encompasing a lot of shows. As with all shows it's merit comes down to having good writing, solid directing and great characters delivered through amazing performances. I do agree that most procedurals are bad and there are way too many of them being made.

LOL at this article. What a f*cking joke.

quote:

The first season of Lost could be argued a procedural as well and that was great.

Can you explain? Not sure I follow how Lost season one is a procedural?

And I agree, CSI was/is insanely entertaining, and was original when it first came out. The stories moved nicely and they looked at human nature and science in an interesting.

Crap.

For me, NCIS, NCIS: LA, CSI, CSI NY, CSI Miami, Criminal Minds, Numbers, Cold Case, The Mentalist are ALL THE SAME CRAP.

quote:

Originally posted by G.Penn:

quote:

The first season of Lost could be argued a procedural as well and that was great.

Can you explain? Not sure I follow how Lost season one is a procedural?

It dosn't quite conform to the constraints of a procedural as religiously as your NCIS'. However I would classify it as a procedural because the episodes follow a procedure. They all focus on a character on the island and cut back and forth between a self contained episode of their life off the island and their life on. Usually at the end of the episode it is revealed how both these stories link together in some profound way. There is definatly some kind of formula to how those episodes were constructed and even the on island storyline is reasonably self contained. Alot of the episodes also opened on an eye of a character and ended in a montage of the castaways although this was not done in an overwhealming majority of episodes.


Later seasons you could make similar arguments (except for season 5) but I felt that the episodes in seasons 2-4 wern't self contained enough to make an as compelling case (although I'm not sure if being self contained is necisary for a procedural). I could be wrong but I think the argument is there.

quote:

Originally posted by kukuku:
Crap.

For me, NCIS, NCIS: LA, CSI, CSI NY, CSI Miami, Criminal Minds, Numbers, Cold Case, The Mentalist are ALL THE SAME CRAP.

CSI: surely gets some credit for being the first, the cast have been quite clear that they have been unhappy with being imitated and they feel it cheapened their show. Also, how much of CSI: have you seen? Season 7 was nothing short of outstanding. The first few years were great as well. All other years have ranged from good to really good. it is definatly on a different level to all the other shows you listed in terms of subtlety, character development, writing and directing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Noble,

The last season of CSI I saw was Season 5.