Almost 18 million people tuned in for the season premiere of NCIS Tuesday night, winning its 8 to 9pm timeslot.  Surely, the show may not be as hyped as, say, CSI, but time and again, it delivers, even egging CBS' new drama The Mentalist premiered to a whopping 15.6 million.  NCIS' strong debut numbers seemed to even further aggravate the case of the medical drama House, whose already dismal 14.4 million premiere numbers even dipped to 12.1 million on its second.

For those who need a refresher, in “Last Man Standing,” Gibbs (Mark Harmon) had to find a mole inside his newly formed team.  Agent McGee (Sean Murray) helped, and Gibbs was able to trace some phone calls between Lee (Liza Lapira) and the dead Petty Officer.  Lee was cleared.  While Keating (Jonathan Mangum) was being interrogated, shots are heard, exposing Agent Langer (Jonathan LaPaglia) as the mole, at least to Gibbs and Vance (Rocky Carroll).  McGee and Ziva (Cote de Pablo) joined Gibbs while Lee scooted out.  In the end, Lee was revealed to be the mole, after all.

Potential spoilers ahead.

For this season, NCIS is reportedly going to do something it hasn't done in the past: look into Gibbs' - well - past.  According to TV Guide, on the show's October 14th episode, the NCIS team's investigation will lead them to Gibbs' hometown, following the ambush of a pair of marines.  The viewers will get a little sneak peek into Gibbs' family life, as they meet his father, to be played by Ralph Waite.  According to executive producer Shane Brennan, exploring this angle was a double-edged sword, fun but at the same time complicated.

"Taking Gibbs back to his roots was something we've talked about doing for some time," he said.  "It was an easy creative decision to make, but a challenging story to tell."

"The episode is a little piece of magic, with revelations about how Gibbs grew into the man we all admire and respect," he added.  "It is a funny, revealing and emotionally powerful story that I think fans of the show will talk about for the rest of the season.  Prepare to get choked up."


-Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly
(Image Courtesy of TV.com)