Out of all the tv shows I've ever watched, NCIS is the show I've been watching the longest. But, until July 2017, I don't think I could confidently say that I watched ever episode.
And that's insane because I can't honestly remember a time when NCIS wasn't a part of my life. I remember watching reruns as early as middle school (so, about 2006ish). It wasn't until mid-high school that I became totally obsessed with this show and watched it every Tuesday with my dad when a new episode aired. Even when I was living in Scotland I made an effort to watch every week (though usually that meant waiting until Wednesday, which was absolutely KILLER despite it being only a day afterwards).
Then, July 2017, I finally decided to do what I had always wanted: I started NCIS from the beginning on Netflix. I finished just the last week, February 14th (yeah, sorry for the double tv show post, but I was REALLY excited to get this out as soon as possible). Yeah it took me MONTHS to get to the end of season 13 (yes, there are currently 14 seasons on Netflix, but I'll explain later why I stopped here). And just as a note, this entire time I was jointly watching the newest episodes from season 15 when they aired on tv.
So, for those who don't know what NCIS is, it's a show on CBS where we follow a team of navy criminal investigative service agents...investigate navy crime scenes. Now I know what you're probably thinking: how is this show any different then the TONS of other crime shows on tv? Well, even though I haven't religiously watched all of them (the closest has been Criminal Minds), I can say that NCIS is the BEST because it is not just a crime show, there are so many other story arcs including romance (something that I may not be into in most cases, but here the romance is just executed PERFECTLY....even if I do want more), politics/awareness of various issues or charities, and even some fantasy (usually as a reminder that this isn't real mostly through the conundrum of how Gibbs gets his boat out of his basement...something I would still like a definitive answer to).
Now, throughout the current 15 seasons of NCIS, I, and probably a whole bunch of superfans, define the story arc or eras into three: the Cait era, the time of Tiva, and then finally, the era we are in now, the post-Tony period (this might get a different name, but we aren't too far into this period for it to be defined differently, though I have a feeling it might turn into the Bishop-Torres phase).
The Cait era is the start of the NCIS show, containing seasons 1 to the start of season 3, and is, as expected, defined by a key character: Caitlin Todd (which until the moment of writing this, I thought she spelled her name as K-A-T-E....how did I not know this?!?!). Though she isn't the series' main character- that I believe goes to Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a NCIS team leader who was a Marine Scout Sniper- the story arc is about her journey as a special agent. I won't say how her time at NCIS ends, because that would be super spoilery, but it does in fact end in order for the new time to be brought in. When I was in my more casual-reruns-watching relationship with NCIS, I really HATED the Cait episodes, because I was so used to time of Tiva.
So, the time of Tiva. this is the longest span within the NCIS show, going from early in season 3 all the way to the end of season 13. This era is defined by two seminal characters: Anthony 'Tony' DiNozzo and Ziva David. Now Special Agent DiNozzo has been a main character from season 1, episode 1. However, he was more of a caricature: his main trait was being a chauvinist. It's not until this new era that he shines and becomes more fully developed, and that's due both to his ended relationship with Cait (I'm not saying if was anything more or less than professional) and his budding relationship with Ziva (again, I won't say the nature of this relationship). Ziva initially arrives within NCIS as a Mossad liaison and it is not certain whose side she's really on. But because of that, her character is strong and multifaceted from the start. Not to mention, she's a total badass, and has been a fictional role model of mine. While I do define this time period with these to characters who, don't get me wrong, are seminal to most of the background arcs to the show, but the other characters are similarly more well developed and brought to the forefront. We still have Gibbs as team leader, but like DiNozzo, I feel like he became less of a caricature and more formed as someone who could be a real person with personality. We also have characters like Abby Sciuto- gothic and caring forensic scientist- Donald 'Ducky' Mallard- head medical examiner- Jimmy Palmer- Ducky's assistant- and Timothy McGee- a permanent member and probie to the NCIS special agent team during season 2- who all were present in some way from the start of NCIS, but become more fully fledged during this era. And its important to note that during the Tiva era, Tony and Ziva's relationship is not the only notable one, but in fact the relationships of all these main cast members are crucial to the story, and are responsible, I think, for the show's loyal fanbase. Again, though, this era eventually ends, and I must warn you, it will destroy your heart (if you have one). This is, probably due to the fact that it is the longest (though I will not discredit the writing during this time either because UGH the feels!), my favorite era of NCIS.
And that brings us to the most recent era: the post-Tony phase. Now I won't get into the specifics of why this is titled as such because spoilers, but I will tell you that we face a great shift, not only in the cast members, but in the characters' developments and relationships as well. In the last couple of seasons within the time of Tiva we are introduced to a new character: Eleanor 'Ellie' Bishop, a NSA agent who then switches to our beloved NCIS team. Her development as a character and her relationship changes are a rollercoaster in itself (though not as much as the whole Tiva thing...nothing can EVER compare to that emotional ride). Then, at the beginning of season 14, the official start of the post-Tony phase, we meet Nick Torres, an undercover agent who is likewise brought onto the NCIS team. I can't really get more into this era than I already have, not only for spoiler reasons, but because we are only 1 and 1/2 seasons into this era, and I really do not have a clear idea of where this story arc will go (though I do have my hopes). I'm not sure how this compares to the Cait era, sometimes I think post-Tony is better though there are some points that make me question it, it is, again, too early to tell for sure.
This, then, is the basics of NCIS as a show, though I don't think it comes anywhere close to its full scope. To grasp that, you really need to watch it from start to finish. Yeah, I know, 14+ seasons of 24ish hour long episodes each is a HUGE commitment. But I definitely think it is worth the time. I truly believe this is the best show EVER because the individual and long running plots as well as the development of and relationships between characters are extremely well-written and brought to screen by an astounding cast and crew. NCIS is my absolute number one tv show of all time, and on a 5 star rating, I wouldn't hesitate to give it a 6.
I could definitely talk about this show more, but it would probably be more spoiler-y and super long, so I'll save any further discussions for other posts.
But, yeah! Definitely go watch this show, you won't be disappointed!