Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #592 in DVD
• Brand: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2006-06-06
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Formats: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: .75 pounds
• Running time: 1009 minutes

Product description
A team of special agents, operating outside the military chain of command, must investigate any crime with pieces of evidence connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position. Character driven stories with surprising twists play a large role in the second season of NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service). The NCIS team of investigators is led by Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), an experienced investigator with sometimes unorthodox, but always effective methods. Working under Gibbs are Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo (Michael Weatherly); Special Agent Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander); Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette); and NCIS's medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum). Additionally, joining the staff this season will be Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) whose communication and computer skills outweigh his naivete. Whether investigating murder or espionage, the NCIS goes global in their quest to solve all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties.

Amazon.com
Equal parts JAG and C.S.I., NCIS does a formidable job of blending relevant military headlines with quirky characters who are tenaciously determined to solve a crime--even if it means having to sleep in the morgue to get a few minutes of shut eye. Created by Donald P. Bellisario (JAG, Quantum Leap), NCIS actually began as a two-part episode of JAG in 2003. Later that year, the drama made its full-season debut on CBS. On this six-disc set, which includes all 23 non-JAG episodes plus optional commentary by Bellisario on the first episode, viewers are introduced to an elite squad of special agents, led by Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). Gibbs is a hard-nosed investigator who doesn't say much. But when he does, an insult usually comes out of his mouth. He's brilliant when it comes to ferreting out the truth, but he's not savvy enough to figure out how to block his ex-wife's nagging phone calls. Instead, he makes do by destroying his cell phone. Gibbs' team is fleshed out by an eclectic and somewhat eccentric set of colleagues, including medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum from The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), wannabe playboy and former homicide detective Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), forensics expert and resident Goth chick Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), and former Secret Service agent Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander).

The murder of a peripheral NCIS agent halfway through the season is a taste of what's to come in future seasons when core characters leave the show (voluntarily or not). But in its first year, the show sets up a strong premise that (while not wholly original) is well executed. One of the more stickling aspects of the show is its reluctance to allow Tony to show signs of maturity. At times, he behaves more like a rambunctious puppy than an ace investigator. --Jae-Ha Kim

Customer Reviews

NCIS: A solid Season 1 for this well acted, entertaining, and fun show!
Television is an medium which cannibilizes its own successes, where one hit show inspires more variations on the same formula every pilot season. Those shows that invariably succeed do so because they take a formula and make it unique to their show. This is the case with NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It first appeared to be a combination of CSI and JAG, not shocking considering JAG producer Bellisario's involvement as creator and executive producer and CSI's overwhelming success. What it showed throughout its first season is that NCIS stands out in its own right through clever writing and great acting, making for solid, entertaining TV drawing a devoted fan base.

NCIS is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, responsible for crimes by and against members of the United States Navy and US Marine Corps. The team of NCIS agents introduced in Season 1 is led by former Marine Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), a tough no-nonsense leader and interrogator. The team also includes ex-homicide detective Special Agent Anthony DiNozzi (Michael Weatherly), former Secret Service Special Agent Kate Todd (Sasha Alexander), goth forensics expert Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), computer specialist and rookie Agent Tim McGee (Sean Murray),(McGee appears in a cameo role 6 episodes in and quickly becomes a reoccuring character. By season 2 he is a full timer) and quirky coroner Doctor Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum). Each actor does an exceptional job developing their character, especially Perrette who makes Abby one of the best and most intriguing characters on TV.

In Season 1, the team investigates a broad range of crimes from the apparent parachute death of a Marine, sniper attacks against a Marine recruiter, the disappearance of a service member, and the infiltration of a Navy base by a suspected terrorist. The twists and turns are frequent and the tension is kept high. The dialogue between the team members while on the case is especially fun, the writers really making an effort to hint at deeper personalities while keeping a balance between funny and dramatic. There are some minor stumbling blocks, occasional episodes that are less than perfect, but overall , Season 1 was a runaway hit. Expect NCIS to remain a top show for CBS for many more years.

The Season 1 box set contains 23 episodes, for a total running time of almost 17 hours. It begins with Yankee White, the first offical NCIS episode. It does not contain the 2-Part JAG episodes (the murder of LT Loren Singer) that introduced the NCIS team and concept. The set is in Dolby Stereo and 16x9 widescreen, and contains three featurettes: Creating Season 1, Building the Team, Defining the Look. The featurettes run about 20 minutes each, and have some great interviews with the cast and creater Bellisario. There is also an audio commentary by Bellisario for episode "Yankee White". This box set is a must buy for NCIS or JAG fans and for fans of solid, entertaining television shows that don't insult your intelligence. Order your box set today and start working the case!

A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO

NCIS: a WONDERFUL show worth at least 8 stars
If you want to know if you'll like this show read the first part of this review:

Are you someone who likes drama shows? Particuarly crime drama shows? If yes, continue on then.
Are characters that are easy to fall in love with important to you? Are you a human that enjoys a good laugh? Do you cherish the sweet moments on television?And do you crave out-of-your-seat tension that will keep you up all night wondering what will happen in the next episode?
If you said yes to all of these things, I guarantee that you will love this show!

And here is my personal take on NCIS:
I like crime dramas like CSI, Law and Order, JAG, and such. I also like thrillers like LOST. But I also like SpongeBob SquarePants.
CSI is okay, but it doesn't really have the laughs that I like in a show.
Law and Order is nice, but the relationships between the workers are too perfect.
LOST is nice, but once again, no laughs, no 5+star ratings.
NCIS has the wonderful combination of all of these show into one. It will leave you laughing, crying, or staying awake staring at the ceiling hating Dave Bellisaro.
I won't go on about the characters, because there are about 6 reviews talking about them.
I just wanted to give my take on this show. It is by far, my favorite show on the network.

The Surprise Of NCIS
I recently got hooked onto the series, and found myself studying it, and the history surrounding it. While the characters were introduced on JAG, the term "spin-off" I didn't think appropriate for it. For those who have seen many of the Bellisarius productions, they seem to swing between emphasis on interpersonal relationships (Magnum, Quantum Leap) and strongly patriotic vehicles (Airwolf, JAG), with the shows having the better developed characters being the stronger shows.
This is why--and Don Bellisario backs this up in interviews--NCIS seems to lean more towards Magnum in terms of of how the characters react towards one another, and the quirks that play out with them. Mark Harmon's Gibbs--the lead investigator; doesn't work well with authority or other agencies (or his ex-wives), coffee-addicted, carving a boat in his basement, and known for his "mysterious redhead" companion. Michael Weatherly's DiNozzo--the jock who won't grow up, making a pass at anything with a skirt. Sasha Alexander's Kate--in an homage to "Moonlighting", becoming Maddie to DiNozzo's David; while being the mature and smarter part of that combination. Sean Murray's Tim McGee--yeah, he's the computer nerd. But women are seeing SOMETHING in him. Especially Abby. Which brings us to Pauley, Pauley, Pauley--Miss Perette takes our classic concept of a Goth chick and throws it out the window in a spectacular fashion, with her peppiness and her open attraction for the men in the office. It is David McCallum though that really brings the Magnum memory into clear relief. Think about John Hillerman's Jonathan Higgins on Magnum--know it all because he's seen it all. Put him in a lab coat and give him more and lighter hair, and we have Ducky Mallard.
Clearly, NCIS isn't JAG, and it certainly isn't even close to being related to the CSI franchise. There's a fun in the drama that plays out in every episode that leaves the viewer giggling while anticipating the action, and that's what makes the Season 1 set so entertaining.