When NCIS initially aired on CBS 20 years ago, it was difficult to envision how the program could last for 20 years and still be as interesting as it was during those earlier seasons. But now that the venerable show has been renewed for a 21st season, everyone is curious as to how NCIS will succeed with all the opportunities still open to it.
Series co-creators Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill, along with executive producer Mark Horowitz, would be the first to tell you how important it is not to get stuck on one idea or vision. Entertainment is fluid and dynamic, the field is always changing, and what seemed like a great idea yesterday may not work tomorrow.
In fact, NCIS itself hasn’t always been the show viewers are used to. Though it follows the main principles of the procedural drama genre, mainly dealing with criminals one case at a time, the original pitch included the Department of the Navy’s Office of the Judge Advocate General also convicting the criminals. Much like another hit franchise, run by NBC.
But as Mark Horowitz explained in a recent The Hollywood Reporter behind-the-scenes look at the iconic show, that idea didn’t last long and wasn’t the best format:
“The show was originally pitched as Law & Order in the Navy. First, there’d be some crime, and the NCIS agents would investigate it — the cops of the Navy — and then the JAG people would come in and try the case. Don [Bellisario] played with that idea for a little while, and then he just said, “We’re not going to do that. It’s going to be two completely separate shows.”
In fact, Bellisario, JAG has already published a series about the daily operations of the aforementioned department. The author chose to change NCIS into something more dynamic and action-based rather of repeating himself.
The chain of stores started. NCIS has outlasted its predecessor in terms of both duration and the volume of support it enjoys from audiences throughout the world. It now includes NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai’i, and NCIS: Sydney. Would that be feasible given the series’ initial pitch’s structure? That will always be a mystery.
If you want to watch the original NCIS series, you can stream all 20 seasons that have already aired on Netflix. Keep an eye out for more news and updates on an upcoming season.