NCIS: New Orleans: I Am So Psyched!

(Image from claimfame.com)

The latest show in the NCIS Franchise (Technically the JAG Franchise) NCIS: New Orleans kicks off this fall on Tuesday 23 Sept 2014 CBS 9:00 PM ET. The show will take the slot following the current mother show NCIS, which means that sister show NCIS: Los Angeles moves to Monday nights. I hope it does well. I plan on watching it and hoping it has a long run, even though I was not real big on the idea of having a third NCIS show when the other two were still super hot.

So far there have been some on-air promos telling that the show is coming. Images in the promo appear to only be stuff from the backdoor pilot that aired during season 11 of NCIS in the two episode Crescent City story (pt1, pt2)

Related Articles:
'NCIS' expands reach to New Orleans - USA Today
'NCIS: New Orleans' adds Rob Kerkovich to cast, plans 'NCIS' character crossovers - NOLA.com

Related Previous Posts:
Green Light for NCIS: New Orleans
Quantum NCIS Enterprise
NCIS: New Orleans?

Green Light For NCIS: New Orleans

CBS Green Lights NCIS: New Orleans 2nd Spin-off Show from NCIS

(3rd Spin-off from J.A.G.)

This past March/April (25 March & 1 April, 2014) NCIS had a two part story titled "Crescent City" that acted as a backdoor pilot for the potential NCIS: New Orleans spin-off series. The story was successful and the new series has been given the green light by CBS execs.

As a long time fan of the current NCIS flagship series (NCIS itself is a spinoff from the mother flagship show JAG) and the spin-off series NCIS: LA as well as a fan of a few of the main actors Scott Bakula and CCH Pounder, I am going to embrace this new television series. I was originally against the idea (NCIS: New Orleans? and sort of Quantum NCIS Enterprise), but after seeing the backdoor pilot, which I enjoyed a lot and thought it was one of the better episodes of the season, I changed my mind. I think the actors that were cast has a lot to do with it. This new series will be executive produced by NCIS star Mark Harmon. I believe that is one of the big reasons the series was given the green light. I think they are planning to have a  regular around September season premiere/start.

Regular Main Cast:
Special Agent Dwayne Cassius Pride (Scott Bakula)
Special Agent Meredith 'Merri' Brody (Zoe McLellan)
Jefferson Parish Coroner Doctor Loretta Wade (CCH Pounder)
Special Agent Christopher Lasalle (Lucas Black)
 
Linda (Paige Turco)
Lamar (LaJessie Smith)

Related Links:
'NCIS: New Orleans', 'The Odd Couple', 'Scorpion' Lead CBS Pickups- HitFix
CBS Orders 'NCIS' Spinoff, 'Odd Couple', Four More to Series -Hollywood Reporter
'NCIS: New Orleans' gets series order from CBS - NOLA.Com
CBS Orders 'CSI: Cyber', 'NCIS: New Orleans', 'Odd Couple' 'Stalker', 'Madam Secretary', 'Scorpion' & 'The McCarthys' - TV By The Numbers
CBS adds 'NCIS' and 'CSI' spinoffs, new "Odd Couple"- USA Today
'NCIS: New Orleans' gets green light from CBS-TV - WWL First News

NCIS: New Orleans?

I recently saw an article that said CBS had green lighted a new JAG/NCIS spin-off series. This time instead of a roving team that the failed NCIS: Red was, this "series" will be centered around an NCIS team based in New Orleans. That immediately made me think of the Mel Odom "NCIS" book series which is UNRELATED to the shows. The books center around an NCIS team based in North Carolina (at Camp Lejeune) though, so my initial connection was way off. I was South but not the right South. The team in the books is mostly military people (Marines and Ex-Marines) so it is slightly different than a "typical" NCIS team which is usually all civilian or mostly civilian.

NCIS book series by Mel Odom

This new spin-off though is supposed to have it's "backdoor" pilot episode(s) on the Mother well oldest Sister series NCIS and if successful become the latest in the franchise. Filming will be in February with the episodes airing in the spring. I guess they are casting right now or will start soon. (Time to brush up dust off the Theatre Resume). The new series and team will be based in New Orleans that is about all that I know right now. Don't know what type of team. The DC team is mostly a regular response police type team. The LA team is an undercover detective team as was the roving Red team. Don't know what the new New Orleans team will be. The team in the unrelated books was an international response team similar to the DC team but also seemed to have some undercover aspects.

I don't know, I'm a huge NCIS fan, but with the main DC team show, and the Los Angeles show I don't think a third show is really needed. I thought that with the NCIS: Red series. It was a fun idea but I don't think it was the time. Is it time now? I don't know but I still don't really think so. NCIS is still strong as it goes into its 11th season that is one season more than the true Mother of the franchise JAG which went 10 seasons. Plus NCIS: Los Angeles is still going almost as strong with season 5.

Speaking of Mothers and NCIS - The super beautiful Daniela Ruah who plays Kensi Blye on NCIS: LA is expecting her first child, a baby boy, with her fiancé David Paul Olsen. Oh Boy the connection gets a bit creepier. David Olsen is the older brother of Daniela's co-star Eric Christian Olsen who plays Marty Deeks, plus David is the stunt double for lil' bro Eric. No wonder Kensi is a little freaked by Deeks. I didn't know all that connection, so um yeah creepy.

Related links:
NCIS Spinoff Set in New Orleans in the Works at CBS, Mark Harmon to Executive Produce- E Online
NCIS Planning New Orleans-Based Spinoff, Exec-Produced by Mark Harmon- TV Line
'NCIS' looks at potential spinoff set in New Orleans- USA Today
CBS Devloping New Orleans-Set 'NCIS' Spinoff- Variety
CBS Greenlights Backdoor Pilot for 'NCIS' New Orleans Spinoff- The Wrap

NCIS: Ziva Going Bye-Bye

OH-NO! It has been announced that the gorgeous Cote de Pablo who plays Special Agent Ziva David (pronounced Zee-va Da-Veed) Ex-Mossad Agent on NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is leaving the show at the beginning of Season 11. I'm am saddened. NCIS is one of my favorite TV shows now-days, and there are very few of them now (especially since Sci-Fi Channel announced the cancellation of Warehouse 13  set to end on a very short six episode Season 5). Most of what I watch now is on CBS, the network that airs NCIS as well as it's spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles,  I also watch some stuff on BBC America and Sci-Fi Channel.

Cote has been with the show Eight seasons, and will only be in enough episodes of Season 11 to wrap up her character's storyline. She didn't renew her contract for next season. So far nothing I have seen has given the reason, but some speculation I saw was that she wasn't going to be getting a raise, or at least not enough of one to stay. Producers say that they respect Cote's decision to leave the show and will have an "Appropriate Closer" for Ziva. Uh-OH. That means Ziva might end up getting shot and killed in the season opener, it seems every time a regular character has left they are killed off. I hope they don't kill of Ziva, I will be extremely Ticked Off to the Maxx if that happens.

Related Links:
Cote de Pablo leaving 'NCIS' - Entertainment Weekly
NCIS Shocker: Cote de Pablo Exiting After Season 11 Premiere- E Online
Cote de Pablo leaves 'NCIS' after eight seasons- Los Angeles times
Cote de Pablo to leave 'NCIS'- MSN.com
Cote de Pablo leaving NCIS (finally!)- She Knows Entertainment
NCIS Scoop: Cote de Pablo to Exit This Fall, Producers Promise 'Appropriate Closure' For Ziva - TV Line
Cote de Pablo to leave 'NCIS' - USA Today
Cote de Pablo To Depart CBS' 'NCIS'- Yahoo TV

A very cute pic of Cote

DVD Update May 2012

MAY 2012

Just a quick one as it is almost the last hour of the month of May eek! and it has been ages since I've done one of these since it had been two or three months since I've gotten any new DVDs. So most of what I got as usual was from Columbia House DVD Club I won't go into detail of how much I got things for because I just want to make this one a quick one. Anyway here is what I got:

From COLUMBIA HOUSE:
NCIS: Eighth Season
NCIS: Los Angeles: The Second Season
Primeval: Volume 3
Logan's Run: The Complete Series
Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Season
S.W.A.T.: Firefight - Got to look for Season Two of the Original Series which is supposedly now out.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

From TARGET:
The Cat In The Hat (2003) Starring Mike Myers - Got it for $5bucks.

Now I can relax a little bit and log these DVDs into my collection. I also need to make an update for the books I got way back in February. I haven't gotten any new books since then, but have my sights set on a couple to get soon. I hate when I get so lazy I fall behind in things. UGH.

Some DVDs for September.

I decided to try something, dangerous I know. I've seen others do this but I decided I'd try it. I made a rough very rough video of me showing some recently bought DVDs. I'm not sure if I'll do this anymore or not. I'd like to if I can remember, but I really need to get my webcam skills down a bit better for showmanship. Anyway I made a video on UStream.tv on which I'm CaptKirk42. My other videos there are trading card related and have no audience, this type of thing has more audience for people who do YouTube, I'm not sure about UStream though, it was a bit popular with the trading card people.

The link to my video is here: DVD Update 25SEP10

The DVDs I barely mention are:

The Greatest American Hero Season One and Season Two (Target as a Two Pack)
Warehouse 13 Season One(Target)
Max Headroom Complete Series (Best Buy)
JAG Seasons 7, 8, 9 and 10 (Columbia House)
NCIS Season 7 (Columbia House)
NCIS:LA Season 1 (Columbia House)

The stuff from Target and Best Buy I got in August, the Columbia House ones are from September in the following story:

I told my tale of ordering through Columbia House. After I had placed my order they said that JAG Season 10 was out of stock and would be shipped separate, which it was and the other DVDs would ship in one huge box. Long story short a week after they ship the bulk of my order I get the individual box of JAG Season 10, and one of those "You've Got A Package" slip/card. So the next day I go to the post office slip in hand and get the rest of the order. Long story short I got the entire order the "same day" even though one was sent some two days later.

NCIS Episode 7.8 "Power Down"

NCIS EPISODE 7.8
"Power Down"

This Review may contain SPOILERS.

This episode was another very good one. It is an episode that reminds me why I watch the show. It didn't have a lot of action, in fact there was only a little bit at the beginning of the episode. Without giving too much of the plot away the basic gist of the story was that the power in the majority of the DC area was knocked out (there was a pretty cool scene of DC lights shutting down) due to the events of their case of course. The NCIS team had to solve their case without electric power. OK so they cheated a little bit and gave them a little backup power for necessities like the body freezers in autopsy and minimal power in the MTAC room, but for the most part they had to do things old school, actually a little more than old school since the phones were also out. They didn't like it and each character asked "How did people do [blank according to their specific job function] before [blank specific technology for their job]".


They even found an old mimeograph machine in storage that Gibbs had to give them a non-verbal demonstration on to show how to use it. That was truly just a site gag and a jab at Gibbs' age compared to the young ages of his team. They even found the time to make a reference to Doctor Who. McGee mentioned that the storage shed they were searching was like the TARDIS, Dinozzo asks him what he means. McGee says it's the time ship that Doctor Who travels in. Puzzled Dinozzo then asks "Dr. Who? Who watches Doctor Who?"


In recent years I have often wondered what people would do if modern technology was out of commission for an extended period of time. This episode shows that excellently. Most of us modern technologically dependents would be lost. I do fear that there will come a time when technology fails us and many things will be lost.


All in all a very good episode. 4.5/5

The NCIS: Los Angeles episode that followed it was also pretty good, not quite as good in my book as this NCIS episode, but for NCIS: LA it was one of the better ones.


NOTE: This review was updated to reflect the Doctor Who references that I had forgotten about. I also added the Spoilers warning in case people consider the Doctor Who references, or other parts of this review as spoilers. I may have even corrected some grammar and spelling errors, or not.