By Shoshi Gibbons

NCIS – Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It’s a real government agency, but it’s better known for its TV show. The TV show itself has spanned over nine seasons and is a work of art. Every episode tugs at the heartstrings and makes you feel emotions that you would feel in a very rare situation. Usually, you would forget these emotional sensations, but NCIS brings them into a new light. Although the show may seem a little dramatic, it is very, very good. Why? Why is it so good, you ask? Well, for one, the characters on the show have a very family-like dynamic. They rely on each other and support one another. Other reasons can be that the plots in each episode are relatable to our country’s fight against terrorism, espionage and other horrible things that occur in this nation.
NCIS brings the meaning of co-worker/family relations into a new light. It can be compared with that of Law & Order: SVU, with Olivia Benson’s and Elliot Stabler’s sibling-like relationship. On NCIS, the immature character of Tony DiNozzo plays the lead with lightheartedness spontaneous threats on the show. DiNozzo’s relationship with Ziva David makes for a funny, more-anticipated, not-as-affectionate boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Ziva’s relationship with Abby Scuito, the forensic analyst, is more of a best friend relationship compared to that of DiNozzo’s and McGee’s brotherly relationship – DiNozzo playing the immature, silly brother and McGee playing the more serious and attentive brother. Of course, the father character, Gibbs, really adds to the feeling of family – he teaches all of them not only techniques for the job, but also methods on how to live their lives, something a parent will teach to their children at the age when they’re beginning to fend for themselves. NCIS’s themes like terrorism really play into what Americans face today. Also, incorporating that with those themes of detective shows are proving the show quite popular. Unlike Law & Order: SVU, NCIS has humor in it, often that of DiNozzo or just awkward situations between all of the major characters. This just goes to show how detective shows have evolved from serious, straightforward to comical, surprise approaches in their storylines. Law & Order: SVU is just really starting to add more humor to their often dark, twisted storylines.
To people who haven’t seen or heard about this show, it can be described in one sentence as “A TV show focused on a government agency that serves the American navy in criminal investigations”. Basically, a detective show for sailors. To watch this show in my house is a tradition. We think we’ve seen all the previous episodes of NCIS with Ziva in them. NCIS’s theme of serving and protecting our country is evident throughout the show’s various episodes. This happens especially when their investigations span a few of them, leaving room for the emotions of the show to really be felt.