Posted Nov 18th 2009 2:00AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E08) NCIS did something so great on tonight's episode that I'm surprised I haven't seen it done on another procedural until now. If you haven't seen the show yet, I won't spoil it, but I will say that it was a complication that really made the show.
There were moments for DiNozzo to reference all kinds of TV shows from the past, a chance for Gibbs to prove that there's nothing he can't handle with aplomb, and even the opportunity for Abby to show that sans Cafe Pow, she's still the sharpest lab tech in NCIS. More on the case after the jump.
Continue reading Review: NCIS - Power Down
Posted Nov 13th 2009 1:09PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Sports, Industry, Programming, OpEd, Survivor, Music and Variety, Celebrities, Ratings, NCIS, The Mentalist, The Big Bang Theory
"Did you hear who's going to play during the Super Bowl halftime show?"
"No, who?"
"That's what I just said. Who."
"No, seriously. Which is the band that's going to appear?"
"It's Who."
"I'm not talking proper English. Which band will be on CBS's halftime show on February 7 at Landshark Stadium in Miami?"
"The Who -- you know, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend. 'Tommy, can you hear me?'"
"Oh! Why didn't you just say that!"
Okay, I couldn't resist the nod to Abbott and Costello's
Who's On First. But the fact is that
Sports Illustrated has spread the word that
The Who will star in the Super Bowl big, overblown half-time pageant. This follows the safe pattern the NFL has been employing since the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake costume malfunction; that is, stick with classic rock stars who are guaranteed to do their hits and not disrobe. That's why we've had Prince, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and now The Who. All superstar acts, no controversy.
Continue reading CBS plans Super Bowl halftime and... what comes on after the game
Posted Nov 11th 2009 1:12AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E07) People who don't watch
NCIS usually think the show is all about the military, all about forensics, all about criminal procedures, etc. Well, an episode like this is a perfect example of how character-driven the show actually is. Leon Vance has not been as interesting as the director of
NCIS as Jenny Shepherd was, but the look into his back-story we saw with this episode may be a game changer. For one thing, he has some wife.
But as much as the Vance story and his weird connection to Kai drove the show, it may be the sad sack McGee subplot that resonates. Poor probie. Tough luck, McGeek ... or McDigit, as Tony dubbed him. The redhead was a looker. Tony and Ziva were impressed. Oh well ... more after the jump.
Continue reading Review: NCIS - Endgame
Posted Nov 5th 2009 8:10AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Industry, Programming, NCIS, Reality-Free
Michael Ausiello is reporting that
CBS has reduced the number of episodes of Numb3rs for this season from 22 to only 16. What does this mean for the show? Well, it means that sometimes numbers aren't good even on
Numb3rs. It also means that this pretty much guarantees that this will be the last season for the show. Ausiello thinks that CBS will put
Flashpoint in the time slot when the episodes run out.
So, are all of you people who tried to save
Southland going to mount a similar campaign for this show? I didn't think so.
Continue reading CBS adds to NCIS and subtracts from Numb3rs
Posted Nov 4th 2009 1:10AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E06) Any time
Muse Watson returns to
NCIS as Gibbs' mentor Mike Franks, there's usually something special in the works. Tonight's episode was no different.
With Franks involved in what looked like a heinous act of double murder, Jethro was thrust into the middle of what appeared to be an open-and-shut case.
Not so fast, Probie. The Kelly adrift with two dead bodies -- two ex-military men with ties to a private military operation -- was the first and biggest clue to the mystery.
Continue reading Review: NCIS - Outlaws and In-Laws
Posted Nov 3rd 2009 9:33AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, NCIS, Casting, Reality-Free
There's good casting and then there's great casting.
NCIS has had a propensity for great casting when it comes to the father's of the core characters. Michael Nouri has been spot on as Ziva's autocratic Israeli father. Ralph Waite was a surprising, but superb, choice as Jethro's down to earth father.
Now, we've just heard the news that there's another pop coming to
NCIS.
If you haven't read about the famous TV star chosen and you don't want to know about it, please, don't read any further. However, if you can handle casting without feeling like the story lines are spoiled, follow after the jump.
Continue reading NCIS casts Tony's dad... and he's someone you know
Posted Oct 31st 2009 8:17AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Casting, Reality-Free
One of my favorite actresses is joining the cast of America's most watched drama series. That means about 20 million viewers a week will get to see her in action. The actress is
Rena Sofer and she's been cast on NCIS as a hard-nosed, no-nonsense lawyer. The role could be long term or recurring, they're not saying yet.
In fact, they're not giving much away at all. Not even the character's name or when she starts. Thus far, it's hard to see where a lawyer would be needed in the current storylines, so it's likely that there's an arc on the way that will bring her along as a key element.
Rena has a load of primetime experience, having appeared on
Heroes, 24, Couples, Blind Justice, Just Shoot Me... but for me she was never better than when she was on
General Hospital as Lois Cerullo.
Continue reading Rena Sofer cast on NCIS
Posted Oct 30th 2009 2:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory
The candy manufacturers had better watch out, because as Halloween is approaching, TV shows have been coming up with their own candies, inspired by some of the more colorful, interesting characters. Take a look at this list, and see which are treats and which are tricks. And, listen, tell us what kind of candy your favorite TV characters might inspire!
8. How I Met Your Mother - Robin Scherbatsky's Canadian corn
Oh, Canada. Slutty pumpkins aside, Robin had to convince her American friends that Canada not only celebrates Halloween, but Canadian corn is the best Halloween candy ever. That's right, Canadian corn. It's like candy corn, only it's orange on the top and white on the bottom. It also tastes like pancakes because it isn't made with corn syrup; it's made with maple syrup.
Continue reading Eight TV character-inspired Halloween candies
Posted Oct 30th 2009 10:03AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, NCIS, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free
If I tell you right now, before November sweeps, that CBS will renew
NCIS: Los Angeles for a second season, you won't be surprised. The pre-season projections for this show were that it was a guaranteed success. It wasn't only that it was a spinoff from CBS's top-rated drama series,
NCIS. No, it was programming. CBS slotted
NCIS: LA in the hour right after
NCIS. It had a very strong spot, a monster lead in.
Continue reading Five reasons I'm not hooked on NCIS: LA
Posted Oct 22nd 2009 1:04PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Casting, Reality-Free
Circle the date on the calendar. On November 24 -- that's right before Thanksgiving so you might be busy with other stuff -- don't miss
NCIS: Los Angeles because Pauley Perrette's Abby will be guesting. She won't just be on a monitoring talking to the folks in L.A.; she'll be in the City of Angels.
Goth Abby in the City of Angels?
We knew it was coming. But how oxymoronic. All that sunshine is counter to the dark vibe, although if you ask me, Abby is a walking oxymoron. She's a scientist in love with forensics who is covered in tattoos, has a dog collar as a necklace and likes pigtails.
Anyway, back to the crossover. Michael Ausiello's sources have leaked to him at EW.com that Abby's visit to the Left Coast is a major plot point. Abby is not there by choice; she's been abducted.
Continue reading Abby's trip to NCIS Los Angeles is set
Posted Oct 21st 2009 1:32AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E05) Happy Halloween from your friends at
NCIS! There was definitely some creepy stuff going on with this case, and for the first time in weeks, the concentration of the show was strictly on the mystery. No Ziva flashbacks, no Gibbs questions about Mossad, no Vance at all. It was just about how a Marine recently back from Afghanistan wound up dead in his car on the night before Halloween.
Continue reading Review: NCIS - Code of Conduct
Posted Oct 14th 2009 12:28AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E04) First of all, let's get this out of the way quickly. This might be the best episode of the season. It was all character with just enough action to keep those who love gunfire happy. But most importantly, it cemented Ziva's place in the world of
NCIS (the show and the organization). For that reason alone, this was four stars all the way.
Mad Men is the kind of show where allusions are made and words have meanings that are not always readily apparent. It's a great show to watch, sometimes difficult to comprehend.
NCIS doesn't pretend to be poetic. It presents compelling, dynamic situations in which characters face tough decisions and loyalty is tested and burnished over time. And the words matter here, too.
Tonight the word was mishpocheh. It's Yiddish for family. Ziva used it in one scene referring to her mission on the freighter (the dead Marine was not mishpocheh), but it mattered more in a later scene with Gibbs. More on the complexities of the episode after the jump.
Continue reading NCIS: Good Cop, Bad Cop
Posted Oct 12th 2009 2:05PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free
I love military style series. I haven't missed one episode of
JAG or its spin-off
NCIS over the years -- I even watched reruns, including airings dubbed in French! -- and have watched all
NCIS: Los Angeles since it began.
What I like most about
NCIS: LA is that they do undercover missions, taking different personae and using gadgets, and that it stars one of my movie crushes when I was a teen, Chris O'Donnell, as well as the talented Linda Hunt.
Sadly, there are small things that I don't get about the series. These small issues are sort of bugging me and making me not enjoy the show as much as I would like as I keep asking myself these questions every episode.
Do you share the same issues? Do you have answers for me so I can enjoy the show as I want to? The list of things I don't get about
NCIS: LA coming up!
Continue reading Things I don't get about NCIS: Los Angeles
Posted Oct 8th 2009 5:02PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Pickups and Renewals, Ratings, NCIS, Reality-Free
CBS must be pretty happy. They've been dominating the television landscape for the past several years. And their spin-offs policy continues to work very well. In it's premiere week, not only was
NCIS: LA the top-rated new show of the season, but it pushed its parent series all the way to number one on the week, achieving its highest ratings, too.
Those strong ratings have helped boost Julianna Margulies'
The Good Wife to the top as well. As a show of thanks and support,
CBS has ordered full-season pick-ups for both The Good Wife and NCIS: LA. As much as I complain about procedurals dominating the CBS landscape, people want to watch these shows. CBS does them better than anyone.
So that's one more night locked in and secured for CBS to dominate. If America ever does get tired of procedurals, though, they're in big trouble!
Posted Oct 7th 2009 12:27PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Ratings, NCIS, Reality-Free
It's bigger than the NFL. It's drawing more than celebrity dancing. It's the little show that could. In its seventh season on the air,
NCIS is the number one show according to the Nielsen ratings. Over 21 million viewers for the week of September 28 put the drama series on the top of the heap, and there's no sign that it was a fluke. This is the
second week in a row NCIS was the top show.
The question a lot of people are asking, especially those who don't watch or have never even checked out
NCIS is this: how did that happen? It's not normal for a show to get stronger after the five year mark. Some, like a
Seinfeld for example, start slowly and nearly are canceled, but then find an audience and remain secure for the rest of it's run. Before
Seinfeld,
The Dick Van Dyke Show had done the same thing.
Continue reading NCIS is number one again
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