Since it aired in 2003, NCIS has had so many storylines and characters that it can be a
bit jarring to go back to the first season.
So, let's take a few moments and remember a few of the forgotten things from the first
season of NCIS.
Let's go back to the very beginning.
No, we're not talking about "Yankee White," the first episode of season one we're going
all the way back to "Ice Queen," the episode of the legal drama JAG, which first introduced
Gibbs, Abby, Tony, and Ducky.
"Is that number two or three today?"
"If you must know it's number four."
"Brought you a little present."
The characters appeared on two episodes of JAG that served as a backdoor pilot for NCIS,
which was conceived as an investigative crime drama series in the same universe.
Vivian "Viv" Blackadder was a former FBI agent, with an incredible name, who was working for
NCIS before the events of the first season.
In the two backdoor pilot episodes, Viv was shown to be a determined, but clumsy, agent.
Despite being a central player during the backdoor pilot, the character of Viv never
made the leap to the main series.
According to an oral history of NCIS on TV Insider, series co-creator Donald P. Bellisario
thought the character was too soft and decided to nix her from the show.
While Vivian may be a character that you missed out on seeing, don't worry - there are plenty
of other familiar faces that you'd recognize today.
The first season of the show is full of guest appearances from actors who went on to become
very well-known TV stars.
In the episode "Enigma," Terry O'Quinn plays Gibbs' former commanding officer, who disappears
with millions of dollars of Saddam Hussein's money.
Josh Holloway has a smaller role as a cocky local sheriff who gets on Gibbs' bad side
on the episode "My Other Left Foot."
Dean Norris from Breaking Bad also makes an appearance in the same episode as a Marine
Corps sergeant.
In the episode "Split Decision," Scandal star Bellamy Young plays an ATF agent who gets
swept up in an NCIS investigation.
Switching back to the main cast, Agent Tim McGee is one of the longest-running characters
on NCIS, but the character wasn't supposed to last more than one episode.
Lucky for him, he caught the eye of viewers and producers during the first season and
eventually became a series regular.
One of the McGee storylines that was most endearing was his budding relationship with
Abby.
The two hit it off almost as soon as McGee arrived on the scene, but starting in the
second season, their relationship started to fizzle.
There were a few hints that suggested the two were still hooking up occasionally, but
their flirtatious banter eventually died out and the relationship was mostly forgotten
by the show.
One of the biggest things you'll notice when revisiting season one, you'll notice that
several of the personalities of the show's long-running characters have evolved quite
a bit.
One example is how Gibbs' gruff, but fun, personality -
"Well don't dismiss me like that.
Ok I earned my jock strap."
"Yeah?
Does it ever give you that empty feeling?"
"What?"
"Your jock strap."
- became more serious and somber as the show went on.
Another is how Abby's bubbly charms were turned up to the extreme in later seasons, versus
the quirky, but cool, tone she set at the beginning of the show's run.
Both of these could be considered examples of "Flanderization," a common television trend
where a show takes an action or trait of a character and exaggerates it more and more
until other personality subtleties are lost.
Or it's just that the characters evolved.
Up to you.
For an example of that, take a look at Tony.
In the first few seasons his personality was like that of a frat boy -
"Sweeeet!"
or as dearly departed NCIS Agent Kate Todd once called him -
"An X-Rated Peter Pan."
While Tony is still a bit of a cad during later seasons, he matured quite a bit over
the years and mostly left his penchant for inappropriate workplace jokes behind him.
Those are just some things that might surprise you during a rewatch of NCIS's early days.
With season 18 beginning in late 2020, there's no better time to go back and see where it
all began.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite first seasons are coming soon.
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