Leading the NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) team that operates outside of the military chain of command is Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, a highly skilled investigator and interrogator who is smart, tough and willing to bend the rules to get the job done. Working under Gibbs is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, a former homicide detective who joined NCIS just a few years ago but who has instincts that come only from working on the streets. Joining them are Agent Caitlin Todd, a tough former Secret Service agent who's gone head-to-head with Gibbs in the past, and forensics specialist Abby Sciuto, a gifted scientist whose dark wit matches her goth-style hair and clothes. Assisting the team is medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, who knows it all because he's seen it all. From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents travel the globe to investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties.

The pilot for this series aired as a two-part episode of "JAG" (1995) in the spring of 2003. Two major changes were made for the series. A gimmick in which Ducky is shown talking to corpses - from the corpse's point of view - was dropped, and a character named Viv Blackadder (played by Robyn Lively) was replaced by the character played by Sasha Alexander.

[Kate leaves the room in a hurry]


Tony:
Was it something I said?


Gibbs:
Not yet, at least.

Factual errors: Throughout the series, characters are shown taking pictures with Nikon digital SLR cameras. These cameras are used held to the eye, not at arms length as depicted, as the rear monitors are for review purposes and not image capture.