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Rating: Country: USA Release Date: June 6, 2006 Distributor: Paramount Cast: · Mark Harmon · David McCallum · Michael Weatherly · Sasha Alexander · Pauley Perrette Related Sites: ·IMDb
Grade: A-
When a crime is connected to the Navy in some way, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is responsible for the investigations. NCIS, which just completed its third season on CBS, is now being released on DVD.
This first season collection features all 23 episodes from the premiere season which originally aired from September 23, 2003 through May 25, 2004. Mark Harmon plays Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, which is probably one of the worst names possible for a character, outside of Hee-Haw. Joining Harmon are David McCallum, Michael Weatherly, Sasha Alexander, and Pauley Perrette.
I had never seen NCIS before so the opportunity to see it from the very beginning was too enticing to pass up. From the very first episode, I knew the series would be something I would enjoy. In "Yankee White," a Navy commander carrying the "football," a briefcase filled with nuclear launch codes, dies in mid-flight aboard Air Force One. His death was determined to be anything but natural, and the investigation continued from there. For a first episode, the mixture of Air Force One, Secret Service, terrorists, secret government briefcases, and murder proved to be quite engaging.
As the season progressed, there are some episodes that I wish I had skipped but most episodes are entertaining and unique. In one episode, a satellite operative is spying on a nude sunbather, instead of doing his job, and becomes an inadvertant witness to a murder. You have to admit: that's pretty creative. As a fan of CSI and investigations in general, this series contains a well-balanced mix of investigations and intruiging stories.
The cast, on the other hand, could be improved. Harmon is a good actor and fits into his role well. Sasha Alexander isn't bad either. But it's a different story with Pauley Perrette. I'm not sure why but I get really creeped out when she is on-screen. She's a little awkward to watch. Although not as bad as Perrette, I don't particularly like David McCallum either. Regardless, the actors do mesh well together, complimenting each other nicely.
This set features three bonus features: Creating Season 1, Building the Team, and Defining the Look. All three bonus features are behind-the-scenes featurettes on the various production (and pre-production) elements of the show. The featurettes were neither too long nor too short. They were long enough to inform and entertain but short enough to avoid becoming repetitive.
This collection is presented in Widescreen and is packaged on six single-sided discs. I was very happy to see that Paramount chose to use single-sided discs since some series with one-hour episodes tend to come on double-sided discs. The discs are contained in three slim clear cases.
With an average online price over $35, this series is a bit pricier than some series but is a bargain compared to series such as CSI, which checks-in at a whopping $70 for the newest release. The price for this first season might drop in the coming months but if you're looking for a really entertaining collection for Father's Day, NCIS is an easy pick.
Disc Guide for Season One
DISC ONE
Yankee White Hung Out to Dry Seadog The Immortals
DISC TWO
The Curse High Seas Sub Rosa Minimum Security
DISC THREE
Marine Down Left for Dead Eye Spy My Other Left Foot
DISC FOUR
One Shot, One Kill The Good Samaritan Enigma Bete Noire
DISC FIVE
The Truth is Out There UnSEALed Dead Man Talking Missing
DISC SIX
Split Decision A Weak Link Reveille
BONUS MATERIAL: Creating Season 1 Buildting the Team Defining the Look
