If we'd stretch it further, cheese in this case can also be American Idol, which is so far the only show that has managed to tame NCIS' ratings surge before the Fox juggernaut entered the picture. The last showdown between the two has Idol's Tuesday telecast winning by some 5 million viewers, although NCIS had shown in the past that it can move in even closer.

Weatherly, whose role as Tony remains one of the show's main draws, adds that the sheer number of people who tune in every week doesn't make sense at this point, adding that co-star David McCallum, whose The Man from U.N.C.L.E. role in the 60s is "much bigger" than NCIS, is probably the only guy who can make sense of things.

"It's a great, rewarding experience to be on a show that has, every week, such an extraordinary number of viewers. And I don't think it will really make any sense until later ... We look to [McCallum] for some sage advice, guidance and wisdom."

"So we try not to believe too much of the bad stuff, or the good stuff, and we just make our show everyday," he says, finally.


(Image courtesy of CBS)