I used to say that television was a vast wasteland and stood by that statement in immoveable concrete shoes. I actually stopped watching TV for a long while, with the exception of one or two particular shows every season. For a while it seemed like I only had two choices, blatant rip-offs of better shows or (kill me now) 'reality shows.' But back when the DVD market started becoming a haven for TV shows (new, old and cancelled), I was given the opportunity to see a lot of what I had been missing and found that it wasn't so much a wasteland. There was a lot of good TV out there… you just needed to know where to look. Where I thought that crime dramas were a dime a dozen, shows like "CSI" (and its subsequent spin-offs) proved to me I was wrong. It was still possible to find creativity strong enough to last multiple seasons. Of course, there is an interesting double-edged sword for the networks to my learning this.

As I find out there is more 'good' to watch on TV than I thought, I tend to wait for the DVD releases in order to watch them. After all, I can get in a whole season in just a few days and no commercials.

Anyhow, my point is that I really must learn to give more shows a chance, even if I think they are one of the blatant rip-offs of another. A perfect case is "NCIS." When I first heard of the show, the first thing that went through my head was that it was trying to steal the idea that "CSI" brought to the table. As I understood it, the NCIS team solved crimes using high-tech science, and more interestingly… cool camera shots to go 'inside' the crime. I avoided the show when it initially aired, figuring it wouldn’t last all that long anyway. Turns out I was wrong again. "NCIS" currently started its 5th successful season.

Last year, Paramount added the 1st season of "NCIS" to its roster of TV on DVD releases, and as such I was able to see for myself if it stood apart from "CSI." The series starred Mark Harmon as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (a name that sounds right at home in my Texas neighborhood), an investigator for the Navy Criminal Investigative Squad. The rest of his team was made up of Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander), the heavily tattooed forensic scientist Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), and the bespectacled Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard (David McCallum.) Together they solved crimes ranging from murder to terrorist threats.

In watching the show I was immediately impressed by a couple of things. The first was the incredible cinematography, which was further enhanced by an awesome DVD transfer. And I'm not talking about the special effects shots, I'm talking about the overall look of the series. Then there was the matter of the cast. I really got into the quirks of each of the characters almost immediately and found myself enjoying how they gelled as a team. Sure it was similar in many ways to "CSI", but admittedly it distinguished itself much in the same way that the actual spin-offs of that series did. It set itself apart by creating its own style.

I've always rather liked Mark Harmon in that he comes across as that 'everyman' type of character. This is one of the stronger roles he's played in a while and he does a great job of carrying the bulk of the series while giving his cast mates room to shine. Michael Weatherly is another actor I'm glad is getting another shot at a series. His two seasons on "Dark Angel" made me a fan, and while his character here is quite different, he's no less interesting. He is the typical 'man', as ready with a quick sexual innuendo as he is a good movie reference.

But of all the actors on the series, I was the most happy to see David McCallum. Being that I'm ancient, I grew up watching "The Man from Uncle", where he played opposite Robert Vaughn, and I loved his character. After that I only saw him in a handful of movie roles and then he seemed to disappear. A few years ago I caught him hosting a TV special on Nostradamus and I thought that was pretty much the end of his career. His role on "NCIS" however, has jump started his career and earned him a whole new legion of fans.

They quickly followed that set up with season 2 and I was interested to see freshman season was a fluke, or if they could keep up the quality for another year. After making it through a marathon viewing of all 23 episodes I determined that the show not only continued to be good, but they upped the stakes in order to allow it to top itself. The episodes in the 2nd season were actually more involved, even to the point of bringing some of the cases a little too close to home. We learn first hand what a dangerous job the characters have, and the season ends very badly for one of our characters.

Season 3 was just as good, if not the better than what came before. The series added a former Moussad Agent to the fold in the form of Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), and while she wasn't an immediate fit, by the end of the 3rd season we completely accepted her as a part of the team. We were also introduced to Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), otherwise known as 'Probie' and a new NCIS Director, Jennifer Shepard (Lauren Holly)… who also happens to be an old flame of Gibbs.

This month the 4th season hit store shelves, and I couldn’t have been happier. After the season 3 cliffhanger (I hate those!!), I wondered how the team would regain hold together without their fearless leader. (The details of which I will not spoil here…. though I'm sure you can guess) However, I have to give the writers kudos for using a well-written multi-episode arc that brought Gibbs back into the fold. I really could not imagine the show with out Gibbs… or actually any of the current roster of characters. This new season continued to deliver the great episodes I have come to expect from the series, with nary a weak one to be found.

Of the sets released thus far, the DVD set for the 4th season is easily the best yet in terms of special features. There are several featurettes that focus on the expected, production design, set design, series story arcs, character's backgrounds etc… But there is one standout amongst an already terrific array of features. It comes in the form of a 2-part Q&A session that is set up quite informally at a restaurant called The Smoke House (in L.A.). All of the principal cast members are present and it is an extremely laid back atmosphere where you can tell that everyone enjoys working and hanging out together. It's one of the most fun Q&A sessions I have found on any DVD of late.

There are also 6 commentaries spread out on the discs, which I've listed below. Only one is by creator Donald Bellisario, the rest are from various cast members. Admittedly these are the commentaries I like the best, especially when it comes to this cast as all have very sharp senses of humor. These commentaries are as funny as they are informative and I wouldn't suggest passing up on a one.

This 6-disc set is well worth the time to watch as "NCIS" continues to show why it was good enough to last 5 seasons and will last several more (I hope).

Episodes:
Shalom
Escaped Singled Out
Faking It
Dead and Unburied
Witch Hunt
Sandbalst
Once a Hero
Twisted Sister (Commentary by Sean Murray & Terrence O'Hara)
Smoked
Driven
Suspicion
Sharif Returns
Blowback
Friends and Lovers
Dead Man Walking (Commentary by Sean Murray & Cote de Pablo)
Skeletons (Commentary by Brian & David McCallum)
Iceman
Grace Period (Commentary by Michael Weatherly)
Cover Story (Commentary by Michael Weatherly & Pauley Perrette)
Brothers In Arms
In the Dark
Trojan Horse
Angel of Death (Commentary by Donald Bellisario)

Starring: Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum
Extras: Cast Roundtable (parts 1 & 2), Ducky's World, Behind the Set: The Production Design of NCIS, Dressed to Kill: Dressing the Sets of NCIS, Prop Master, Picture Perfect: The Looks of NCIS, Season of Secrets, Commentaries on Select Episodes
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 10/23/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give NCIS: Season 4 an A.