NCIS and CBS' bonehead moves

Hi Alex,

Time to dust this sucker off. So, here we go....

Okay, the Paramount sale/merger has become a total mess. So, I'm not touching that one right now. Except that I figure that, somehow, Paramount/CBS will find SOME way to mess it up even further. That said, moving on to...

NCIS Mistakes

Okay, let's start with the obvious....NCIS: Origins....this show sounds the Enterprise of the NCIS franchise. It's the prequel that nobody wants. Especially since it's the reason NCIS: Hawaii and CSI: Vegas both got axed. Hawaii for the budget and Vegas for the studio space. 

The next mistake I predict CBS will make is the resolution of the Season 21 cliffhanger. Katrina Law's character Jessica Knight accepted leadership of a REACT team, leading to trouble between her and Brian Dietzen's Dr Jimmy Palmer. Looking at the top three of best-paid actors on the show....we have Sean Murray, then Dietzen and finally Rocky Carroll.

Writing out Sean Murray would anger the long-time fans and damage the franchise's ratings big time. So, how do they cut the budget ? Simple, Jess and Jimmy make up and both leave the show. This allows them to cut Dietzen's paycheck from the budget. It also leaves them with an opening to throw the Hawaii fans a bone...

Put Yasmine Al-Bustami's Lucy Tara on Parker's team. (Have her girlfriend Kate transfer to the Washington DC FBI office. Make her a mentioned/recurring character.) Why Lucy and not Tennant ? Simple, for Tara, this transfer would be a promotion, for Tennant it would be a demotion. And Vanessa Lachey was the lead of Hawaii, meaning you'd have to pay her lead money. Plus, it would be a way to score points with the LGBTQ community.

As for who would replace Dietzen....well, I don't think it was a coincidence that Season 3 hinted that Commander Chase was a student of Ducky Mallard. And since she is on the third year of her contract, Seana Kofoed will be a lot cheaper then Dietzen, who is up to year twelve...

And then there is NCIS: Tony and Ziva. Combined with upcoming firings and 500 million budget cuts, this whole thing smells of desperation. What does CBS need to do for the NCIS franchise to pull the wagon properly ? (Since Trek has totally gone down the drain.) Well, IMHO...

Vance

Oops....almost forgot, what WILL they do with Vanessa Lachey ? Well, number three on the list is Rocky Carroll / Leon Vance who has been around since Season 5. Even if you do pay her 'lead money', Vanessa Lachey is going to be a LOT cheaper then Rocky Carroll. 

So by bringing these three ladies over from Hawaii, they can cut NCIS' budget a lot, while spinning it as trying to mend fences with the Hawaii fans.

How to Fix NCIS

1. Cancel NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Tony and Ziva ASAP. Nobody wants the prequel and the premise for Tony and Ziva show doesn't sound like it's a set up for multiple season gig anyway. 
2. Rule 45...Clean up your messes....In this case, the leftover plot lines from Los Angeles and Hawaii. These need to be dealt with. So number three...
3. Bring back Linda Hunt. One of the things that ruined the later season of LA was the replacement of Hetty Lange by (retired) Admiral Filler Killjoy. Yes, I know that wasn't his real name, but that summarizes my feelings about the character. Which brings me to...
4. ...Other characters from cancelled shows. Right now, it's like these places - and all the people in them - go poof as soon as the last episode airs. Have folks from LA, New Orleans and Hawaii do appearances and cameos. And make sure that plenty of those cameos are on...
5. NCIS: Sydney. Right now, that show is getting a lot of hate. It needs cameos, more money and more episodes. Go all in on that show.
   

That's all I have.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)