General Informations

1/10: TvGuide Magazine interview with Shane Brenann

In this exclusive Q&A, NCIS executive producer Shane Brennan tells tvguidemagazine.com about his plans for this season. Come back tomorrow to read his thoughts on NCIS: Los Angeles. And be sure to pick up the new issue of TV Guide Magazine, on newsstands Oct. 1, with NCIS: LA stars Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J on the cover!

TV GUIDE: With NCIS, everyone has been focused for a while on what would happen with Tony and Ziva, which has yet to be completely resolved. But is there any other character you have a special arc planned for on season 7?
SHANE BRENNAN: Abby has a very special arc. And McGee has a very special arc. The Tony/Ziva thing we’ll be resolving that in a way that the audience… [pause]… the vast bulk of the audience will find very satisfying. And with Gibbs, what can you say? The boat’s gone from the basement. What the hell is Gibbs gonna put in there? He’s on a particular journey as well. I will say that the basement will feature in a number of episodes, and it is very, very empty, and Gibbs is very, very aware how empty it is. I’ll just say the boat returns.

So, the boat gets used…
The boat returns. I didn’t say “used”… The boat returns in a most unexpected way.

You mean it returns to the show, or actually returns to the basement?
You’ll have to wait and see. It’s a very cool episode. It’ll be in the [November] sweep. What does a man build in his basement now? We could probably run a competition. Because we’ve been thinking of all of the possibilities. It’s been a long time. We see him with a tape measure at one point. What’s he got in mind?

At the end of last season, Gibbs was getting revelations about the death of Ziva’s brother all that time ago, leaving the audience to wonder who was telling the truth in all that and what it meant. Is that something you’re going to continue to play with?
Not for long. There’ll be answers to those questions. Just as in life, you have episodes in life where things are very important to you, and they may be for years, but eventually that journey ends and another one starts. And we’re at one of those points in NCIS, where things that have been happening for three or four years reach a conclusion, and there’s a new beginning. And that happens four episodes in. Now, that’s kind of tantalizing, isn’t it?

“A new beginning”—could you be more specific?
Not really. I could, but… it’s been building. And the fans are not gonna be disappointed. No one’s gonna leave. No one’s gonna die. NO ONE’S GONNA DIE!… And then the show will settle back into its very comfortable self. I like to take them out on the roller coaster, and ease them back in… and then pound them again.

Looking at fan posts online, you can see that half the people wish Tony and Ziva would get together, and the other half say that would absolutely be the worst thing ever. Based on what you know, do you think fans have been satisfied with how that wrapped up? Or maybe not wrapped up.
Yeah, I was gonna say, what makes you think it’s wrapped up? [Yes, it’s] half and half, and in the middle is the tightrope that we have to walk. We have to try to at some point play a little to one side, and make those people happy, and then play to the other side and make those people happy. At the same time, you need to try to move forward, because the worst thing you could do is not let the characters grow. And relationships change constantly. I’ve been married 30 years, so my relationship with my wife is constantly changing. If it wasn’t, we would have been divorced 20 years ago. Your instincts change in the way that life changes. So in many respects, that’s what Tony and Ziva are faced with now: How do they move forward after what’s happened? And which direction is forward?

Are you swayed by fan reaction?
I wouldn’t say I’m swayed, but I’m always open to listening to the audience, because they have so much invested in the show that I’d be a fool not to. And what that can do is, it can spark a thought which you may have never had. You may not do what they want, but it may give you an idea to do something you wouldn’t have done. I’m a great believer in having some sort of interface with the audience. Back in the old days you’d get a letter and think “Ooh, I’ve got a letter from a fan! What did she say?” Now, you get 5000 a day, and you’ve got to be careful you don’t just cherry-pick those that support what you want to do. I spend a bit of time trolling everything, trying to get a feeling for [fan opinions]. And it’s not about trying to please everyone, because you can’t, because you crash and burn. But it helps you find stories that may excite people, something a bit different.


8/27: Question: Will the Abby and McGee relationship go anywhere on NCIS this season? —Marysia

Ausiello: “There could be a little bit of “McAbby” this season in a very unexpected way,” teases exec producer Shane Brennan. “There is definitely some very interesting relationship things that are going to happen between them.”

Source: The Ausiello Files


8/25: Cima in Detroit: Are we ever going to see poor Ziva again on NCIS?
We asked NCIS star Pauley Perrette that very question, and according to her, "Yes, in the season premiere." Oh, but how—how will we see Ziva again?! "You gotta watch. It's complicated and crazy, but it's TV at its best."

Source: Watch with Kristin



8/19: Question: Last week we were promised a boatload of NCIS spoilers. All we got was one about Gibbs’ boat. WTF? —Alyssa
Ausiello: And that one wasn’t even accurate! I erroneously quoted exec producer Shane Brennan as saying that Gibbs would be measuring his basin in an upcoming episode. He actually said he’d be measuring his basement. In my defense, Brennan has one of those funny accents.

Question: Is Gibbs ever going to date again on NCIS? —Alyssa
Ausiello: Date? Yes. Marry? No. “He’s had two or three wives too many,” says Brennan. “A relationship that would take him to the precipice of marriage is probably not in the cards.”

Source: The Ausiello Files


8/18: Matt in San Antonio, Texas: I hear the season premiere of NCIS is going to be amazing. What can you tell us?
Well, Pauley Perrette (NCIS' Abby) is "super pumped" about it, and tells us this: "It's crazy. It's awesome. I will say that there is a lot of Michael Weatherly, who I think is one of the most talented actors on the planet Earth, and he's not bad on the eyes. He is a force. He is so incredible in this episode. It's heavy on Michael. His work in the season opener is not to be missed."

Source: Watch With Kristin


8/13: 'NCIS' Season 7 Preview
NCIS sure left a lot of questions when season 6 ended last May. Needless to say, all these will be answered when the highly rated CBS procedural returns for its heavily anticipated seventh run on September 22.
Read on to find out what's in store for us next month on this NCIS season 7 preview.

Of all the characters, perhaps it's Ziva (Cote De Pablo) whose future is most hanging in the balance when season 6 wrapped up. Last we checked, she had been captured and all but dead, left behind in her native Israel after having Gibbs (Mark Harmon) chose between her and Tony (Michael Weatherly). She was being tortured and beaten for info on NCIS, and we still have no idea who's behind it - either her Mossad-heading father or the terrorists Rifkin investigated?

According to some spoilers, Ziva will indeed be back, but she'll be a "changed woman" which isn't really hard to understand. Such change will most probably affect the dynamic of the team, especially the Tony and Ziva tandem. Most NCIS fans think the changed woman aspect of the spoiler may have something to do with the romantic aspect of things, meaning her experience in Tel Aviv might have ruined whatever she and Tony had.

Executive producer Shane Brennan offered this as a little peek: the two's relationship "will evolve rapidly" over the first three episodes so you better tune in.

As if that's not enough intrigue to rile NCIS fans up, Brennan teases: "You cannot miss the first minute of our season premiere. You'll think you know what's going on, but then you'll go, 'Am I seeing things? What just happened?!'"

In hopefully soothing conclusion to this NCIS season 7 preview: CBS previously confirmed that all the cast, including Sean Murray as Timothy McGee, David McCallum as Ducky, Pauley Perrette as Abby, and Rocky Carroll, will be back for season 7. September 22 - mark your calendars.

Source: BuddyTV


8/13: Question: When is Gibbs going to start building a new boat on NCIS? And where’d the last one go? —Christopher
Ausiello: Sounds like a question for exec producer Shane Brennan. “In the first three or four episodes, Gibbs has his tape measure out and he’s measuring the basin,” he teases. “And everyone will have to wait and see what goes in there. I will tell you this: You haven’t seen the last of the boat.”

Question: Any news on who will replace Louise Lombard as the female lead of NCIS: Los Angeles? —NM
Ausiello: It’s an up-an-coming actress by the name of No One. “At this point, I don’t think we’re going to be adding anyone else to the cast,” says Brennan. “We have enough strength in the cast.” Although Lombard’s Lara Macy won’t be sticking around full-time, Brennan doesn’t rule out an occasional guest appearance down the line. “She didn’t die,” he says. “We’ll find out that she went to an overseas post. When Callen (Chris O’Donnell) was shot last season, they had to move to the new operation center and [Lara] was relocated. Will she come back? Never say never.”

Source: The Ausiello Files


8/11: NCIS Plans Shocking Twist

NCIS fans, consider this your one and only warning: “You can not miss the first minute of our [Sept. 22] season premiere,” teases executive producer Shane Brennan. “You’ll think you know what’s going on, but then you’ll go, ‘Am I seeing things? What just happened?!’”

In possibly related news, Brennan says Tony and Ziva’s relationship “will evolve rapidly” in the opener and then play out over the next three episodes. “And then fans will have to take a big deep breath and try and figure out what will happen next.”

Might it involve them finally sealing the deal? “Yes, but I don’t know when,” Brennan hedges. “But at some point, yes. You can’t have an on-again, off-again relationship like this that isn’t on-again at some point in a very unexpected way. We don’t do things by a formula here on NCIS.”

Source: The Ausiello Files


8/8: NCIS Plans Shocking Twist

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Source: Entertainment Weekly


7/2: NCIS Exclusive: Rocky Carroll to Pull Double Duty on Spin-Off

Rocky! Rocky! Fans of NCIS director Leon Vance will find the coming TV season to be twice as nice, as Rocky Carroll will pull double duty on CBS' NCIS and its spin-off, NCIS: Los Angeles, TVGuide.com has learned.

Carroll was promoted to series regular status on NCIS this past season, as Vance replaced the late Jenny Shepard as director. Moving forward, the actor tells TVGuide.com, "I'll be keeping my normal routine on the 'mother ship,' and I'll be doing at least six of the first 13 episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles."

Photo gallery: NCIS and other season-finale cliff-hangers

In a recent entry on his TVGuide.com celebrity blog, Carroll said he had "a feeling that Director Vance will occasionally appear on the spin-off, just to keep an eye on things." Similarly, NCIS executive producer Shane Brennan told us, "Someone like the director of NCIS might end up having to work with the other agency [NCIS: LA's Office of Special Projects]. That could well happen."

NCIS: Los Angeles stars Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J and Linda Hunt. The spin-off, which was introduced via a pair of May sweeps NCIS episodes, kicks off its first season Tuesday, Sept. 22 — where it will lead out of NCIS' own Season 7 premiere.

Get the inside scoop on the making of NCIS: Los Angeles

Carroll's other acting credits include TV's Roc and Chicago Hope (for which he was twice nominated for a NAACP Image Award), and the films Crimson Tide and Born on the Fourth of July. This past spring, he received an honorary doctorate from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo.

Source: TvGuide.com

Episode Informations

Episode 7.03 - The Inside Man



Air Date: October 6
Writer: Tony Wharmby
Director: George Schneck & Frank Cardea

Press Release

THE DEATH OF A CONTROVERSIAL BLOGGER FORCES THE TEAM TO RE-OPEN A CASE THEY HAD BEEN ACCUSED OF MISHANDLING, ON "NCIS," TUESDAY, OCT. 6

"The Inside Man" - The team must take a second look into the death of a lieutenant after the blogger who accused them of a cover-up ends up dead on NCIS, Tuesday, Oct. 6 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

SERIES REGULARS:
NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs ................ Mark Harmon
NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo ........... Michael Weatherly
Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard............................... David McCallum
Abby Sciuto............................. Pauley Perrette
NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee......................... Sean Murray
Ziva David, Former Mossad Liaison........... Cote de Pablo
NCIS Director Leon Vance....... Rocky Carroll

GUEST CAST:
Metro Detective Danny Sportelli ......................... Jack Conley
Metro Detective Megan Hanley.......................... Kelly Overton
Navy Lieutenant Jessica Summers ......................... Erin Cahill
Matt Burns.................................. Julian Acosta
Thomas Victor.................... H. Richard Greene
Benjamin Franklin...................... Clyde Kusatsu
Will Sutton .................................... Kevin Will
Navy Captain Martin Armstrong................... James Shanklin
NCIS Agent Susan Grady............ Jackie Geary
Andrea Morton............... Christinna Chaunchey
Driver....................................... Johnny Chavez
Mechanic.................................. Benjamin Fitch
Officer.................................... Cazmir Milostan

DIRECTED BY: Tony Wharmby
WRITTEN BY: George Schneck & Frank Cardea


Episode 7.04 - Good Cop, Bad Cop



Air Date: October 13
Writer: ?
Director: ?


Episode 7.05 - Code of Conduct

Air Date: October 20
Writer: ?
Director: ?