reading

The book is based on articles from magazines, newspapers and other books as well as the Internet. Although the author never intended to use any lines from the various sources without stating so, it cannot be totally ruled out, that the one or other great line, read in the odd article, found its way into the book by pure chance. With this book the author only tried to give all the NCIS fans a complete book on the NCIS-TV-series seasons 1-13. The author holds no connection what so ever with Belisarius Productions, CBS Broadcasting or Paramount Pictures.

Content

Premise

NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is a special unit to investigate any offenses that are finally brought to the Navy court concerning members of the Navy or Marine Corps at home and abroad, and it is unimportant whether the concerned are involved as perpetrators or victims. In everyday life in addition to the most absurd criminal cases the special agents are in particular involved in the fight against terrorism, and also tasks of protections against espionage are part of their daily business. Previously, the NCIS investigation authority in contrast to FBI and CIA investigations were rather unknown, but this has changed due to the massive success of the TV series. The use of special advisers, especially of real NCIS agents during the filming convey to the viewer an intense authenticity and regularly provides exciting entertainment.

After a sluggish first series start NCIS is now the world's most successful television series ever and has now completed twelve seasons which each enjoyed huge viewership, the final of the 13th Season was aired in the U.S. on CBS in May 2016. In Germany, the current Season 13 runs since the beginning of January 2016 on SAT 1.

The concept of the television series is basically nothing new - previously there were already successful series like CSI, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, all based on the exciting, audience captivating investigations in the crime lab with all its technical aspects. Excessive success of NCIS is not necessarily due to the cases which are certainly full of suspense, but it is probably owed to this incredibly well put together NCIS team, led by the rotten mouth, edgy, strict but also very fair special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Each figure in the team has a unique character, with all the associated strengths and weaknesses, who the audience feels quickly attracted to and perhaps secretly dreams to be able to belong to such a dream team in real life. So one can easily ignore a perhaps less exciting case and enjoy the always funny dialogues of the team members, i.e. the viewer can almost always be fascinated in a humorous way. Another important point of difference to the CSI franchise is that NCIS is not confined almost to one specific place, but in particular the investigations outside the lab play an important role.

The previously aired 306 episodes in 13 seasons offered compelling, exciting entertainment. Besides tragic, sometimes even sad moments, the series offered a dash of dry humor that made the audience, whatever the generation they belong to start to love each member because of his/her personal charm.

The Book

The always thrilling and entertaining cases of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (cover shot), played by Mark Harmon, and his NCIS-crew have been keeping a vast amount of followers all around the world glued to their seats and have made this series to one of the most successful in our times. Most likely being the absolute number one series on TV in the USA and in many other countries.

This fan book, covering season 1-13, includes all the vital and necessary information on the series, short summaries of all episodes, coverage of the role vitas and the famous actors and - it goes without saying - Gibbs, Tony, Kate, Ziva, McGee, Abby, Bishop, Palmer, Ducky's best lines.

TV Broadcast USA

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

NCIS is the most watched TV series that airs during both halves of the television season in the United States, followed by CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Both shows are from CBS. In 2011, NCIS was voted America’s favorite television show. The series finished its tenth season as the most-watched television series in the U.S. during the 2012–13 TV season

On January 15, 2013, NCIS surpassed its previous series high in viewers from Season 8 episode "Freedom". The Season 10 episode "Shiva" attracted 22.86 million viewers, making it a new series high.

TV Broadcast NCIS (USA)

Season	Episodes	Season Premiere	Season Finale	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
1	23	Sep 23, 2003	May 25, 2004	26th	11,84
2	23	Sep 28, 2004	May 24, 2005	22nd	13,57
3	24	Sep 20, 2005	May 16, 2006	16th	15,27
4	24	Sep 19, 2006	May 22, 2007	20th	14,54
5	19	Sep 25, 2007	May 20, 2008	14th	14,41
6	25	Sep 23, 2008	May 19, 2009	5th	17,77
7	24	Sep 22, 2009	May 25, 2010	4th	19,33
8	24	Sep 21, 2010	May 17, 2011	5th	19,46
9	24	Sep 20, 2011	May 15, 2012	3rd	19,49
10	24	Sep 25, 2012	May 14, 2013	1st	21,34
11	24	Sep 24, 2013	May 13, 2014	3rd	19,77
12	24	Sep 23, 2014	May 12, 2015	3rd	18,25
13	24	Sep 22, 2015	May 17, 2016

Awards and Nominations

Nominated – Outstanding Actress in a Drama Television Series – Cote de Pablo (2008)

Won – Outstanding Actress in a Drama Television Series – Cote de Pablo (2011)

Won – Location Team of the Year (Episodic Television) – Emily Kirylo, Jim McClafferty, Joel Sinderman, Michael Soleau (2008)

Nominated – Outstanding Stunt Coordination – Diamond Farnsworth, "Requiem" (2008)

Nominated – Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series – Charles Durning (2005)

Nominated – Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Miniseries, or Movie – Diamond Farnsworth, "Revenge" (2013)

Nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Rocky Carroll (2010)

Nominated – Favorite TV Drama (2009) - Favorite TV Drama Actor – Mark Harmon (2009)

Nominated – Favorite TV Crime Drama (2014) - TV Drama Actor: M.Harmon - TV Drama Actress: P.Paurette

Nominated – Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor – Dominic Scott Kay, "Lost & Found" (2008)

Nominated – Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actress 11–15 – Sadie Calvano (2011)

Won – Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actress 11–15 – Madisen Beaty (2011)

Nominated – Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actress Ten and Under – Melody Angel (2012)

Home Video (DVD) Releases

The first nine seasons of NCIS have been released in Regions 1, 2 and 4. In Germany (Region 2), seasons 1–4 and 6–8 were released in two separate sets for each season. The first season DVD omits the two introductory episodes from season eight of JAG, though they are featured on the JAG season eight DVD.

Latest release USA (DVD Region 1): Season 11 with 24 Episodes (6 discs) on Aug 19, 2014

Other Releases

In 2010, CBS Interactive and GameHouse released a mobile video game, NCIS: The Game for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and BREW/J2ME. The game features five different cases written by the show's writers.

On November 1, 2011, Ubisoft released NCIS, a video game for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii. A Nintendo 3DS version was released on March 6, 2012. The video game was deemed as a mockery to the show by reviewers and players alike, and received a 2/10 rating on GameSpot.

Soundtrack

CBS Records released the show's first soundtrack on February 10, 2009. The Official TV Soundtrack is a two-disc, 22-track set that includes brand new songs from top artists featured prominently in upcoming episodes of the series as well as the show’s original theme by Numeriklab (available commercially for the first time) and a remix of the theme by Ministry. The set also includes songs performed by series regulars Pauley Perrette and Cote de Pablo.

A sequel to the soundtrack was released on November 3, 2009. NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack; Vol. 2 is a single disc, 12 track set that covers songs (many previously unreleased) featured throughout the seventh season of the show, including one recording titled "Bitter and Blue" by Weatherly, as well as two songs used in previous seasons.

The NCIS Authority: Naval Criminal Investigative Service

The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the primary security, counterintelligence, counter-terrorism, and law enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Navy. It is the successor organization to the former Naval Investigative Service (NIS).

Roughly half of the 2,500 NCIS employees are civilian special agents who are trained to carry out a wide variety of assignments at locations across the globe. NCIS special agents are armed federal law enforcement investigators, who frequently coordinate with other U.S. government agencies. NCIS special agents are supported by analysts and other experts skilled in disciplines such as forensics, surveillance, surveillance countermeasures, computer investigations, physical security, and polygraph examinations.

NCIS traces its roots to Navy Department General Order 292 of 1882, signed by William H. Hunt, Secretary of the Navy, which established the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI). Initially, the ONI was tasked with collecting information on the characteristics and weaponry of foreign vessels, charting foreign passages, rivers, or other bodies of water, and touring overseas fortifications, industrial plants, and shipyards.

In anticipation of the United States' entry into World War I, the ONI's responsibilities expanded to include espionage, sabotage, and all manner of information on the Navy's potential adversaries; and in World War II the ONI became responsible for the investigation of sabotage, espionage and subversive activities that posed any kind of threat to the Navy.

The major buildup of civilian special agents began with the Korean War in 1950, and continued through the Cold War years. In 1966 the name Naval Investigative Service (NIS) was adopted to distinguish the organization from the rest of ONI, and in 1969 NIS special agents were reclassified from contract employees and became Excepted Civil Service.

The early 1970s saw an NIS special agent stationed on the USS Intrepid (CV-11) for six months which was the beginning of the "Deployment Afloat" program, (now called the Special Agent Afloat program). In 1972, background investigations were transferred from NIS to the newly formed Defense Investigative Service (DIS), allowing NIS to give more attention to criminal investigations and counterintelligence. The first female agent was stationed at Naval Air Station Miramar, California, in 1975.

In 1982, NIS assumed responsibility for managing the Navy's Law Enforcement and Physical Security Program and the Navy's Information and Personnel Security Program. Additionally, in 1982 two classes of NIS Special Agents were trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), Glynco, GA, in an assessment of FLETC's capability to train military investigators. Prior to this and subsequently until 1984 NIS Special Agent Training was in ONI Headquarters, Suitland, MD.

Two months after the October 1983 bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut, the agency opened the Navy Antiterrorist Alert Center (ATAC). The ATAC was a 24-hour-a-day operational intelligence center that issued indications and warnings on terrorist activity to Navy and Marine Corps commands. ATAC was the facility at which Jonathan Pollard was working when he committed the acts of espionage for which he was convicted in 1987. In 2002 the ATAC became the Multiple Threat Alert Center (MTAC).

In 1984, special agents began training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Georgia, the training facility for most other federal investigative agencies except the FBI, the DEA, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

In 1985, Cathal L. Flynn became the first admiral to lead NIS. The command took on the additional responsibility of Information and Personnel Security. In 1986, the Department of the Navy Central Adjudication Facility (DoN CAF) was established and placed under the agency, as the agency was now once again responsible for adjudicating security clearances (although not the actual investigations). DoN CAF renders approximately 200,000 eligibility determinations annually for the Department of the Navy.

In 1991, the NIS was responsible for investigating the Tailhook scandal, involving sexual misconduct and harassment by Naval and Marine Corps officers in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 1992, the NCIS mission was again clarified and became a mostly civilian agency. Roy D. Nedrow, a former United States Secret Service (USSS) executive, was appointed as the first civilian director and the name changed from Naval Investigative Service to Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Nedrow oversaw the restructuring of NCIS into a Federal law enforcement agency with 14 field offices controlling field operations in 140 locations worldwide. In 1995, NCIS introduced the Cold Case Homicide Unit.

In May 1997, David L. Brant was appointed Director of NCIS by Secretary of the Navy John Howard Dalton. Director Brant retired in December 2005. He was succeeded by Director Thomas A. Betro who was appointed Director of NCIS in January 2006, by Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter. Betro retired in September 2009. On September 13, 2009, Deputy Director of Operations Gregory A. Scovel was appointed Acting Director by Under Secretary of the Navy Robert Work. He served concurrently as Deputy Director for Operations until the new Director was selected.

In 1999, NCIS and the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division (CID) signed a memorandum of understanding calling for an integration of Marine Corps CID into NCIS. (USMC CID continues to exist to investigate misdemeanors and felonies and other criminal offenses not under NCIS investigative jurisdiction.)

In 2000, Congress granted NCIS civilian special agents authority to execute warrants and make arrests. Virtually all NCIS investigators, criminal, counterintelligence, and force protection personnel are now sworn civilian personnel with powers of arrest and warrant service. The exceptions are a small number of reserve military elements engaged in counter-intelligence support.

A growing appreciation of the changing threat facing the Department of the Navy in the 21st century, culminating with the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole (DDG-67) in Yemen and the attacks on September 11, 2001, led NCIS to transform the Anti-terrorist Alert Center into the Multiple Threat Alert Center (MTAC) in 2002.

NCIS agents were the first U.S. law enforcement personnel on the scene at the USS Cole bombing, the Limburg bombing and the terrorist attack in Mombasa, Kenya. NCIS's Cold Case unit has solved 50 homicides since 1995 — one of which was 33 years old.

NCIS has conducted fraud investigations resulting in over half a billion dollars in recoveries and restitution to the U.S. government and the U.S. Navy since 1997. NCIS investigates any death occurring on a Navy vessel or Navy or Marine Corps aircraft or installation (except when the cause of death is medically attributable to disease or natural causes). NCIS oversees the Master at Arms programs for the Navy, overseeing 8800 Masters-At-Arms and the Military Working Dog program. NCIS's three strategic priorities are to prevent terrorism, protect secrets, and reduce crime.

Current missions for NCIS include criminal investigations, force protection, cross-border drug enforcement, anti-terrorism, counter-terrorism, major procurement fraud, computer crime and counter-intelligence.

NCIS Special Agent Peter Garza conducted the first court-ordered Internet wiretap in the United States. Jonathan Jay Pollard was an NCIS analyst who was convicted of spying for Israel after being caught by NCIS and FBI. He received a life sentence in 1987.

On February 14, 2010, Mark D. Clookie became the fourth civilian Director of NCIS, having been appointed to the position by the Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. Clookie leads an agency composed of some 2,500 civilian and military personnel that has a presence in over 150 locations world-wide. He is responsible for executing an annual operating budget of approximately $460 million.

In December 2012, the FBI released redacted documents regarding operations against Occupy Wall Street. In one FBI report, the NCIS is quoted as looking into links between Occupy and "organized labor actions" in December 2011.

The Special Agent Afloat Program of NCIS sends NCIS Special Agents aboard U.S. aircraft carriers and other ships (for example, hospital ships and amphibious assault ships). The purpose of the program is to provide professional investigative, counterintelligence, and force protection support to deployed Navy and Marine Corps commanders. These special agents are assigned to aircraft carriers and other deployed major combatants. Their environment can best be described as a "floating city." The assignment offers many of the same investigative challenges found by any criminal investigator working in a metropolitan city. A special agent assigned to a carrier must be skilled in general criminal investigations including: crime scene examination, expert interview techniques, and use of proactive law enforcement procedures to stop criminal activity before it occurs. The special agent afloat also provides guidance on foreign counterintelligence matters, including terrorism. It is also the mission of the special agent afloat to offer Navy and Marine Corps leadership advice and operational support on security issues which might threaten the safety of ships, personnel and resources.

NCIS's former standard issue sidearm was the 9×19mm SIG Sauer P228. Their current standard issue pistol is the SIG Sauer P229R DAK or SIG Sauer P239 DAK in .40 S&W.

The NCIS TV-Show

NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

The concept and characters were initially introduced in a two-part episode of the CBS series JAG (JAG episodes 8.20 and 8.21). The show, a spin-off from JAG, premiered on September 23, 2003 on CBS and, to date, has aired eight full seasons and has gone into syndicated reruns on USA Network, Cloo (formerly Sleuth) and Ion Television. Donald Bellisario, who created JAG as well as the well-known series Airwolf, Magnum, P.I. and Quantum Leap, is co-creator and executive producer of NCIS.

NCIS was originally referred to as Navy NCIS during Season 1; however, "Navy" was later dropped from the title as it was redundant. NCIS was joined in its seventh season by a spin-off series, NCIS: Los Angeles, starring Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J.

NCIS follows a fictional team of Naval Criminal Investigative Service Major Case Response Team (MCRT) special agents headquartered at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. It is described by the actors and producers (on special features on DVD releases in the United States) as being distinguished by its comic elements, ensemble acting and character-driven plots.

NCIS is the primary law enforcement and counter-intelligence arm of the United States Department of the Navy, which includes the United States Marine Corps. NCIS investigates all major criminal offenses (felonies)—crimes punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice by confinement of more than one year—within the Department of the Navy. The MCRT is frequently assigned to high profile cases such as the death of the U.S. president's military aide, a bomb situation on a U.S. Navy warship, the death of a celebrity on a reality show set on a USMC base, terrorist threats, and kidnappings.

The MCRT is led by Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). Gibbs’s team is composed of Special Agent and Senior Field Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) and Special Agent (formerly Mossad liaison officer) Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), who replaced Caitlin "Kate" Todd (Sasha Alexander) when she was shot and killed by rogue Mossad agent Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin) at the end of season two. The team is assisted in their investigations by Chief Medical Examiner Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum), his assistant Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), who replaced Gerald Jackson (Pancho Demmings), and Forensic Specialist Abigail "Abby" Sciuto (Pauley Perrette).

It has been revealed through flashbacks that the 'original' head of the MCRT was Special Agent Mike Franks (Muse Watson), who led the unit when it was part of the Naval Investigative Service (NIS), the predecessor agency of the NCIS. He recruited Gibbs shortly after Gibbs' retirement from the Marine Corps, eventually retiring himself some years later. After Franks' departure, Gibbs recruited DiNozzo from the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Section. The two were briefly joined by Vivian Blackadder (Robyn Lively), whom Gibbs recruited from the FBI. In the second part of the NCIS pilot, Blackadder allowed her emotions to nearly derail an anti-terror operation in Spain. Gibbs is noticeably disappointed; Blackadder is not present in the series' first regular episode, replaced by Caitlin Todd, a Secret Service agent who joins Gibbs' team after resigning from the Secret Service. McGee first appears as a Field Agent assigned to the Norfolk Field Office. He uses his computer skills to aid the MCRT in subsequent investigations through the rest of the first season, until he is officially promoted with his own desk at the Navy Yard in the beginning of the second season.

NCIS is currently led by Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll). The first director seen in the series, Thomas Morrow (Alan Dale), left after being promoted to Deputy Director of the Department of Homeland Security. Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly) was appointed director after Morrow in the first episode of season three. After Shepard was killed in a shootout at the end of the fifth season Vance, who was Assistant Director of NCIS before her death, was seen as Acting Director after her death and was promoted to take her place.

Main Cast

Name	Portrayed by	Episodes Main	Seasons Main	Episodes Recurring	Seasons Recurring
Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs	Mark Harmon	001–	1–
Special Agent Anthony „Tony“ DiNozzo	Michael Weatherly	001–306	1–13
Abigail „Abby“ Sciuto	Pauley Perrette	001–	1–
Dr. Donald „Ducky“ Mallard	David McCallum	001–	1–
Special Agent Caitlin „Kate“ Todd	Sasha Alexander	001–46	1–2	047–48	3
Special Agent Timothy „Tim“ McGee	Sean Murray	024–	2–	007, 11, 18–23	1
Special Agent Ziva David	Cote de Pablo	050–236	3–11	047–48	3
Director Jennifer „Jenny“ Shepard	Lauren Holly	055–113	3–5	047–54	3
Director Leon Vance	Rocky Carroll	114–	6–	108–109, 111, 113	5
Jimmy Palmer	Brian Dietzen	114–	6–	021–113	1–5
Special Agent Eleanor „Elli“ Bishop	Emily Wickersham	246–	11–	243-246	11

Recurring Cast

Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, portrayed by Mark Harmon, was born in Stillwater, Pennsylvania to Jackson Gibbs and an unnamed mother. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1976 and became a Scout Sniper instead of attending college. After serving tours of duty in Panama and Iraq, he retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. He joined NIS, which later became NCIS, after his wife Shannon and only daughter Kelly were murdered in 1991. Gibbs later travelled to Mexico and murdered the drug dealer responsible, a crime he kept concealed for twenty years. Since then, he has been married and divorced three times, and is currently single.

He currently leads a team consisting of Anthony DiNozzo, Timothy McGee, Abigail Sciuto, and Ziva David. In the episode "Bête Noire" Gibbs comes face to face with terrorist Ari Haswari and puts a bullet through Ari's left shoulder. Finding Ari later becomes an obsession for Gibbs when he and DiNozzo witness original team member Agent Kate Todd get shot dead in front of them in the season 2 finale, "Twilight".

He is often shown in his basement building boats, at least one of which he named after his daughter; another was named after one of his ex-wives. In the episode "Blowback", when confronting "Goliath" on the plane about "ARES", Gibbs revealed he is a Virgo. He is a deadshot marksman, as evidenced in "Hiatus" with flashbacks of him hitting a long-distance headshot of his family's murderer, who was driving a moving vehicle, a 1200-yard killshot, from a file read by Director Leon Vance in the episode "Deliverance" and in "Jeopardy" he hits a kidnapper with a very swift killshot in the forehead – he takes this shot while kneeling from inside a car trunk, with his left hand. In "Truth or Consequences", Gibbs saved his entire team by shooting the leader of a terrorist cell with a killshot after DiNozzo and McGee get captured looking for Ziva after she quits NCIS. Gibbs is one of three characters to have appeared in every episode.

Gibbs' Rules

Senior Special Agent Anthony "Tony" D. DiNozzo, portrayed by Michael Weatherly, is a former homicide detective for the Baltimore Police Department. Prior to Baltimore, he worked for Philadelphia PD and Peoria PD. Like Gibbs, has a limited patience for the scientific method and technical terms. DiNozzo is perhaps best known for his seemingly-endless film references; Ziva insists that his dying words will be "I've seen this film".

He attended Ohio State University as a physical education major and was a member of the "Alpha Chi Delta" fraternity, class of 1989. DiNozzo is said to have played college basketball, "running the point for Ohio State" according to Abby Sciuto in a discussion with her assistant, Chip.

It is mentioned that he comes from a wealthy family but was disowned by his father, Anthony DiNozzo Sr, played by Robert Wagner who in turn was played by Weatherly in a TV movie. DiNozzo's mother was over-protective, and she "dressed him like a sailor until he was ten.“

He is a flirt, and has had his fair share of success in that department. He has a fondness for playing pranks on his co-workers and little respect for their boundaries.

During the course of the fourth season, he was on an undercover assignment that Director Jenny Shepard led, the key mission being to find arms dealer La Grenouille by posing as La Grenouille's daughter's boyfriend, but ended up falling in love with her.

In the episode "Knockout", he revealed that he was not doing well with women and that he was still hurting from his relationship with Jeanne Benoit. There is a great deal of romantic tension between Tony and Ziva.

Despite his playboy manner and light-hearted nature, DiNozzo is frequently shown to be very sharp; he is able to coax Mossad Director Eli David into admitting that he ordered Rivkin and Ziva to spy on NCIS.

Caitlin Todd, portrayed by Sasha Alexander, first appeared in the episode "Yankee White". Todd was a former Secret Service agent, recruited by Gibbs after she successfully helped him solve a murder aboard Air Force One.

She worked well with everyone on the team, becoming particularly close with Ducky and Abby, who convinced her to get a tattoo (referenced in the episode "Kill Ari (Part 1)"). Her relationship with Gibbs is unique, as there appeared to be a real friendship between the two characters; which is unusual considering Gibbs is not a close friend with anyone.

Her relationship with Tony, however, was more adversarial and appeared to be more of siblings than anything else. Tony frequently flirted with her and went through her personal belongings, no matter how many times she pointed out that his behavior was grossly unprofessional. At the same time, Kate is willing to risk her life for DiNozzo and admits that life would be considerably less interesting without him around.

Todd was killed in the line of duty at the end of the episode "Twilight" by Ari Haswari, collateral damage in the terrorist's obsession with Gibbs. She received a fatal gunshot wound to the head from a sniper rifle fired by Ari Haswari. Todd also made appearances in "Kill Ari" parts 1 and 2 as a hallucination, remembered by her teammates.

Ziva David, portrayed by Cote de Pablo, formerly held the post of Mossad Liaison Officer to NCIS, to which she was appointed following the murder of Special Agent Caitlin Todd by a rogue Mossad operative named Ari Haswari. Ziva was Ari's control officer and half-sister. After Agent Todd's death, she requested a liaison assignment to NCIS, where she subsequently joined Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' team. At the end of Season 6, Ziva falls under suspicion as a spy for the Mossad.

Her specialty with the Mossad was espionage, assassination and terrorism and is highly trained in the martial arts. She speaks Hebrew, English, Arabic, Spanish, French, Italian, German Title, Russian and Turkish. Despite being fluent in English, she sometimes misinterprets idioms and phrases that have different meanings in other languages if translated directly; this is a running joke within the series.

Ziva is very skilled with a knife and has been shown teaching her colleagues how to throw it properly. She is the one person Gibbs trusts with any type of firearm in difficult, potentially hazardous, situations.

In her career, she has traveled extensively to countries including Egypt (where she met Jenny Shepard), Iraq, the United Kingdom and Morocco.

In the episode "Good Cop, Bad Cop" Ziva became a probationary NCIS Special Agent after she terminated her links with Mossad for good. Since then, Tony has referred to her (as with McGee) as "Probie". As of "Rule Fifty-One", she is a citizen of the United States and able to become a full agent which is made official in Season 9's "Nature of the Beast".

Ziva rarely speaks of her personal life. Her father Eli David was the director of Mossad (killed in Season 10). The show rarely mentions Ziva's mother, Rivka, who taught her to drive; all that is known is that she does not have the same mother as Ari.

Her younger sister, Talia "Tali" David, was killed in a Hamas terrorist attack against Israel at the age of sixteen. She also has an Aunt Nettie who likes to play mahjong.

Ziva's hobbies include playing the piano, singing, dancing (she took ballet when she was young), cooking, reading, and boxing. She enjoys the fictional drink Berry Mango Madness.

She drives a red Mini Cooper, likes listening to the Israeli band Hadag Nachash and the Latin American band Kinky. She does not own a television but her favorite film is The Sound of Music.

De Pablo describes the character as someone who is "completely different from anyone else on the show" and that because "she's been around men all her life; she's used to men in authority. She's not afraid of men."

On July 10, 2013, CBS television studios announced that Cote de Pablo would be leaving NCIS in Season 11. She would appear in the beginning of the eleventh season to close out Ziva's storyline, but would not be cast as a series regular.

Timothy McGee, portrayed by Sean Murray, first appeared in the episode "Sub Rosa" as a Case Agent stationed at Norfolk, and was promoted to Field Agent and assigned to Agent Gibbs' team in the second season, becoming a regular character, where he became a Junior Special Agent with NCIS. He serves as a field computer consultant and occasionally assists Abby Sciuto in the lab.

He clashes with DiNozzo, though after the two became partners (following Ziva's departure from the team at the end of season six), they are frequently shown to form an effective team; however, once Ziva returns, their relationship reverts to its original state. McGee's methods are often indecipherable to the other team members, have earned him the pejorative nickname "McGeek" and "McGoo" (along with other derisive nicknames based on his surname), as well as "Probie", and "Elf Lord", the latter used by multiple characters due to his elf character in an online role playing computer game. He was trained in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University, and computer forensics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also graduated the top of his class at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

McGee is also a writer, writing mystery crime novels including a national best seller, Deep Six, under the pseudonym Thom E. Gemcity (an anagram of his name), featuring characters based on his fellow co-workers and others from his everyday life. He also drives a silver Porsche Boxster as seen in the episode "Twisted Sister". He has Apple's iPhone smartphone, and uses it frequently on investigation. He owns a dog named Jethro. Jethro was in a prior episode where he had been falsely accused of killing his police handler. Abby proved his innocence, named him Jethro and had to convince McGee to take Jethro because her landlord wouldn't let her keep the dog.

McGee was transferred to Cybercrimes Division in Season 5 ("Judgment Day") and back to the Major Case Response Team in Season 6 ("Last Man Standing").

Abigail "Abby" Sciuto, portrayed by Pauley Perrette, is a forensic specialist with NCIS. As indicated in the episode "Seadog", she is the child of deaf parents. She is known for her gothic style of dress and addiction to the fictional, high-caffeine beverage "Caf-Pow". Abby had a brief sexual relationship with Special Agent McGee, as seen in the episode "Reveille" in season one, which ended with the two remaining friends.

She is the most active and affectionate person of the team, often hugging everyone and talking fast, though she can be easily distracted. She is one of the few who can talk to Gibbs freely, and he often buys her Caf-Pow. She and Gibbs are both fluent in sign language. She has a stuffed farting hippopotamus named Bert that often appears in the show.

Abby developed a fondness for a Navy sniffer dog in the season 5 episode "Dog Tags". Originally named "Butch", she renamed it "Jethro" (after Gibbs) for being "handsome and quiet". The dog was framed for the murder of a petty officer, but Abby proves Jethro's innocence. Afterwards, Abby forces McGee to adopt him, much to his dismay (as Jethro had attacked him earlier in the episode). Abby would have preferred to adopt Jethro herself, but was prohibited from doing so by her landlord.

Abby's hobbies include a bowling league with nuns, helping build homes for the needy, and playing computer games. She also sleeps in a coffin and is, according to DiNozzo, "the happiest goth you will ever meet."

Abby is one of three characters to have appeared in every episode and like Director Leon Vance, also appears on the spin-off series, NCIS Los Angeles.

Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, portrayed by David McCallum, is the Chief Medical Examiner at NCIS. Dr. Mallard is a Scottish-born doctor, who has been long-time friends with Gibbs, and underwent medical education at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, and served in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He has a "second talent", as Gibbs calls it, to be able to read people, which he expands in Season 4 by studying psychology. In cases without actual bodies, he assists by using his psychological training to decipher the clues left by the perpetrators. Dr. Mallard is an eccentric character who often talks to the deceased and rambles to the living with many long personal remembrances or historical accounts, but is a kind man at heart. He also calls coworkers by their full first names (ex: Abigail instead of Abby)—with the exceptions of Gibbs and medical assistant Jimmy Palmer, whom he addresses as Jethro and Mr. Palmer, respectively (although he does refer to Palmer by his first name, Jimmy, when concerned for him, as revealed in About Face).

Although most of his time is spent in autopsy and going to crime scenes to examine bodies, he was sent on a highly important undercover mission in the episode "Blowback". He also spent some time in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion, and in Bosnia during the Balkan conflict.

Ducky and Gibbs have worked together for many years. When Gibbs was asked, "What did Ducky look like when he was younger?" he replied, "Illya Kuryakin"—the Russian spy played by McCallum in the 1960s television show The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Ducky drives a Morgan that he restored himself. In the episode "Hung Out to Dry," it is revealed that he has a nephew, though no further information follows. The ring tone on his cell phone features bagpipes playing "Scotland the Brave".

He lived with his aging mother and her corgi dogs until season 6. In the episode "Broken Bird", Ducky revealed his mother had moved out and had Alzheimer's disease. Nina Foch, the actress who played Ducky's mother, died on December 5, 2008, necessitating the change.

In the episode "Double Identity", it was revealed Ducky's mother had died. Her headstone indicated 1912-2010.

Name:	Leroy Jethro Gibbs
Occupation:	Supervisory/Senior Special Agent in Charge (NCIS), Former Gunnery Sergeant (Marine sniper and Military Police)(USMC)
Gender:	Male
Family:	Jackson Gibbs (Father)
Spouse(s):	Shannon Gibbs (deceased) Diane Sterling (divorced) Unknown (divorced) Stephanie Flynn (divorced)
Children:	Kelly Gibbs (deceased)

Rule #1:	Never let suspects stay together.
Rule #2:	Always wear gloves at a crime scene.
Rule #3:	Don't believe what you're told. Double check.
Rule #3:	Never be unreachable. (Rule #3 double-used)
Rule #4:	If you have a secret, the best thing is to keep it to yourself. The second-best is to tell one other person if you must. There is no third best.
Rule #5:	You don't waste good.
Rule #6:	Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness.
Rule #7:	Always be specific when you lie.
Rule #8:	Never take anything for granted.
Rule #9:	Never go anywhere without a knife.
Rule #10:	Never get personally involved in a case.
Rule #11:	When the job is done, walk away.
Rule #12:	Never date a coworker.
Rule #13:	Never, ever involve lawyers.
Rule #15:	Always work as a team.
Rule #16:	If someone thinks they have the upper hand, break it.
Rule #18:	It's better to ask forgiveness than ask permission.
Rule #22:	Never, ever interrupt Gibbs in interrogation.
Rule #23:	Never mess with a Marine's coffee if you want to live.
Rule #27:	There are two ways to follow someone: 1st way - they never notice you 2nd way - they only notice you.
Rule #35:	Always watch the watchers.
Rule #36:	If it feels like you're being played, you probably are.
Rule #38:	Your case, your lead.
Rule #39:	There is no such thing as coincidence.
Rule #40:	If it seems like someone's out to get you, they are.
Rule #42:	Don't ever accept an apology from someone that just sucker-punched you.
Rule #44:	First things first, hide the women and children.
Rule #45:	Clean up your messes.
Rule #51:	Sometimes - you're wrong.
Rule #69:	Never trust a woman who doesn't trust her man.

Name:	Anthony D. DiNozzo
Occupation:	Special agent, Major Case Response Team Senior Field Agent, NCIS, Former Detective (BPD)
Gender:	Male
Nationality:	American, Italian descent
Family:	Anthony D. DiNozzo Sr. (father) Unnamed mother

Name:	Caitlin Todd (†)
Occupation:	Special Agent, Major Case Response Team Field Agent, (NCIS) Former Special Agent, (USSS)
Gender:	Female
Family:	Rachel Cranston (older sister) Three Unnamed brothers

Name:	Ziva David
Occupation: Gender:	2009-present, Special agent, Major Case Response Team Field Agent, NCIS (Season 7–present), 2005-2009 Mossad Liaison Officer (with NCIS) (seasons 3–7, 2003–2005) Mossad operative, Control officer, 2001–2003 Soldier in the Israeli Army
Gender:	Female
Family:	Eli David (father) Rivka David (deceased) (Mother, deceased) Ari Haswari paternal half brother (deceased) Tali David (sister, deceased)

Name:	Timothy McGee
Occupation:	Special agent, Major Case Response Team Field Agent, NCIS (Seasons 2-Present) Norfolk Case Agent and Major Case Response Team TAD Field Agent, NCIS (Season 1)
Gender:	Male
Family:	Sarah McGee (Sister) Penelope Langston (Grandmother)

Name:	Abigail Sciuto
Occupation:	Forensic Specialist, NCIS
Gender:	Female
Religion:	Catholic

Name:	Dr. Donald Mallard
Occupation:	Chief Medical Examiner
Gender:	Male

Content

Premise

The Book

TV Broadcast USA

TV Broadcast NCIS (USA)

Awards and Nominations

Home Video (DVD) Releases

Other Releases

Soundtrack

The NCIS Authority: Naval Criminal Investigative Service

The NCIS TV-Show

Main Cast

Recurring Cast

Name:

Leroy Jethro Gibbs

Gibbs' Rules

Name:

Anthony D. DiNozzo

Name:

Caitlin Todd (†)

Name:

Ziva David

Name:

Timothy McGee

Name:

Abigail Sciuto

Name:

Dr. Donald Mallard