NCIS: So Long Abby

Bye Bye Abby Bye Bye Bye

Note: This post began drafting a few weeks ago so by the time it posts the season will have been completed. It was started after NCIS episode 15.21 aired on Tuesday 01 May 2018 was almost finished before the airing of the next episode on 08 May. However, I still wanted to add some specific Abby pics if I could find them or something similar. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for but I found some I liked. I could have gone nuts and put up dozens of pics, but I didn't want to do that.

One of my fave television shows NCIS is nearing the end of it's 15th Season, and seems to be killing off a fan fave character of many fans and personally of me Abby Sciuto brilliantly played by Pauley Perrette. A month or two ago it was announced first by the actor via Twitter and then later confirmed by the production company that she would be leaving the show at the end of this Fifteenth Season. Her last episode is number 22 of a 24 episode season. The news made me sad. I am saddened further  that it appears her character is being killed off. After the shocking conclusion to her next to last episode 15.21 One Step Forward and seeing the scenes for her upcoming final episode  15.22 Two Steps Back a realization hit me with the show.

With the exception of the character Alex Quinn played by Jennifer Esposito when a main female cast member has left the series her character is killed off. While main male characters usually survive. There have been some reoccurring supporting male characters that have died, but to the best of my knowledge not main characters.

From a blogging point of view NCIS seems to be a popular subject here on my Knook blog. I'm wondering if this post will join them some day. Five of the ten most popular posts of this blog feature NCIS of those five two of them feature Cote de Pablo who played Ziva David.

Cote left the series at the beginning of season 10 she was in the first two episodes. Then at the end of season 13 when Tony DiNozzo (Micheal Weatherly) was leaving Ziva was killed off screen.

Many fans (not me) had a character shipping fantasy of Tony and Ziva they called it "Tiva". I don't subscribe to the shipping part of fandom. For me that type of fantasizing ruins series. The series confirmed the Tiva relation"ship" with the introduction of Ziva and Tony's daughter whom Tony didn't know about because Ziva was concerned for her safety. Tony was awarded custody of her because of Ziva's death in his last episode.

UPDATE; OH Good she doesn't die. The promos only made it look that way sneaky network and production execs. Abby was too much of a fan fave for them to senselessly kill her. The backlash would have been horrible. She wasn't killed off but the producers shocked fans further by killing of Clayton Reeves (Duane Henry) the MI-6 agent who joined the main team about 2 seasons ago. I didn't see that one coming. I don't recall hearing about Duane's contract ending. I didn't hear any updates from entertainment sources about other departures for the show. To the best of my knowledge the show has been renewed for a 16th season. I think that was done a year or two ago. The last renewal I think was for two years.

I am so glad they handled things the way they did. Except for killing off another character that is. In the story line Abby makes a promise to carry out Clayton's wish to start a charity in his mother's name for homeless female vets who are single mothers and their children. It is just the sweet kind type of thing Abby would do. Abby was a bit of a conundrum a sweet peace loving all caring individual who is a forensic scientist for a government military crime investigative service. A soft personality who would have difficulty being a field agent.

Of course the episode has some television magic healing. Abby was shot in the chest, near death, in a coma for at least 2 days and by the next day she is running around with just a scarf acting as a sling. What should one expect from a series where traveling from DC to Norfolk, VA takes just a few minutes not the reality 3 hours it actually takes.

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 Replacement Bishop Cast

 With less than a week before the start of Season 11 for NCIS the producers have announced the casting of  Emily Wickersham as Bishop the potential permanent replacement for Ziva (Cote de Pablo). It has been previously stated that Cote will finish up Ziva's storyline in the first two episodes of Season 11. Before they introduce the character of Bishop, the potential permanent replacement for Ziva, a series of other characters will come and go. It reminds me of Murphy Brown and her line of personal secretaries.

Emily seems to be best known as appearing as the girlfriend of a character in The Sopranos, she was also in the 2011 movie I am Number Four . Bishop is scheduled to appear in three episodes starting in November. Wickersham has a three episode deal with the option to become a series regular.

Some fans are already moaning and groaning about Bishop being Ziva's Replacement before they even see her. Pushing the cart before the horse doesn't work folks, at least not in our world/universe.

Related articles:
'NCIS' Emily Wickersham Cast As Ziva's Successor, Bishop, In Season 11 - Huffington Post
NCIS Exclusive: Sopranos Alum Eyed as Ziva's Successor, Debut Set For November- Yahoo
'NCIS' Emily Wickersham cast in Season 11 as Cote de Pablo  replacement - Who is she?- Zap 2 It Blog

YAY She's Back! For One Episode

Lookie who is going to return. Yep Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) is back in Vega$ Baby. The actress is going to appear in the big 300th episode of the Original CSI. Wow it's hard to believe that this show will soon be airing episode number Three Zero Zero. Marg left the show last season fortunately she left under good circumstances and they didn't kill her character off. Crime Drama TV shows have a tendency to kill off characters of actors who voluntarily leave a show before the end of its full run.

So far no real details have come out except to say that Catherine returns to help the CSI team solve a 14 year old cold case. So they close a case from before the series began in the fall of 2000.

Related Articles:
Marg Helgenberger to return for 'CSI' 300th episode - CBSNews
'CSI' 300th episode: Marg Helgenberger set to return - Entertainment Weekly
Helgenberger back for 300th 'CSI' episode - Chicago Sun-Times
Marg Helgenberger returns to 'CSI' for 300th episode - USA Today

A Recent Read Number 16

"Since hanging around with the Crime Scene Cleaners, I have been giving serious thought to the choice of method by which people put an end to their own lives, and what these methods say about them."

NOTE: This review may contain SPOILERS.

Mop Men: Inside The World Of Crime Scene Cleaners by Alan Emmins. This is a fascinating book. If you have ever wondered who has to clean up after a messy murder or a suicide involving blood splatter then you might want to crack open this book. The author spent a month traveling around and working with a man an his company that for a fee cleans up the blood and what-not from crime scenes and messy suicides.

The author often poses philosophical questions about death, life and his views on it before and after hanging around with the Crime Scene Cleaners company. The owner of the company got the idea for his company after seeing the movie Pulp Fiction (the author mentions the movie a few times in the book). He said he was originally going to go into the mortuary business, but he wanted to do something with his life. He is quite a character, but seems to have his head and heart in the right place. If it weren't for the crime scene cleaners it would be up to the family of suicide victims, and motel cleaning staff to clean up the gory mess. The author mentions a few times that most people wouldn't be able to cope with that responsibility.

At first the book seems to be a sort of behind the scenes look at the business of cleaning up after messy suicides and murders. It soon becomes a cross between that and a mini-autobiography of the author with a little bit of drama tossed in. There are a few areas where the book drags, but maybe it was just that I took a bit of time reading this book.


Mop Men: Inside the World of Crime Scene Cleaners by Alan Emmins 2004 (2008) Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martins Press) 306 pages. - ***.5