Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 16th, 2024
Mark Harmon as Gibbs was the soul of the NCIS franchise. When he finally called it quits after nearly 20 years, I have to admit I wasn’t sure how much longer the show could go on. I mean, there has to be a reason for this kind of longevity. All of the spin-offs have now […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on October 19th, 2023
“How much do you know about the family business?” Well, for over 20 years, the family business over at CBS has been the NCIS franchise, and another decade longer if you consider it was a spin-off of JAG, which lasted 10 years on its own. It’s been a busy 20 years, I can tell you […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on October 3rd, 2023
“That’s the most important thing. Just have fun.” You shouldn’t need a primer on the NCIS franchise by now. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade or longer, you’re up to speed on these guys. If not, you still could have some fun and enjoy the CBS DVD release of NCIS: […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 21st, 2023
“You mean to say you don’t miss this?” Season 20 brings us to several milestones in the NCIS run. It has now become the longest running procedural in CBS history. It lags behind only the Law & Order franchise in sheer number of episodes. This season gets us to and beyond the 450th. This is […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 30th, 2022
“I wish I could help. But I can’t” You shouldn’t need a primer on the NCIS franchise by now. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade or longer, you’re up to speed on these guys. If not, you still could have some fun and enjoy the CBS DVD release of NCIS: […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 18th, 2022
“Rule 91: When you decide to walk away, don’t look back.” CBS releases the 19th season of NCIS on DVD, and just the sound of that gives one reason to pause. There are few shows or franchises that get to live in that rarified air. In the modern age of television, only the Dick Wolf […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 16th, 2021
“Put your game face on.” When you have the highest-rated drama on television, there is a temptation to milk it for all that you can. We’ve seen it happen with both the Law & Order and CSI franchises. The results tend to be mixed, with some capturing and even exceeding the popularity of the original. […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 10th, 2021
CBS releases the 18th season of NCIS on DVD, and just the sound of that gives one reason to pause. There are few shows or franchises that get to live in that rarified air. In the modern age of television, only the Dick Wolf Law & Order series has accomplished this kind of sheer mass […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 9th, 2021
“Let’s just cut the crap and get on with it, shall we?” You shouldn’t need a primer on the NCIS franchise by now. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade or longer, you’re up to speed on these guys. If not, you still could have some fun and enjoy the CBS […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2020
“You’re not failing. You just haven’t succeeded yet.” If you are at all familiar with the NCIS franchise, you know that the show tends to follow a bit of a formula. Each spinoff has some unique style aspects, but the episodes tend to be relatively self-contained. That means you can start with Season 6 of […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 11th, 2020
“Life just got complicated.” It sure has. With the world still in the throes of pandemic, it’s nice to spend some time catching up on familiar characters and compelling stories. Very few television franchises are as familiar by now as NCIS. CBS brings us the 11th season of the NCIS spin-off: NCIS; Los Angeles to […]
Posted in No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 1st, 2020
“You like when I do the whole cryptic thing.” The 17th season of NCIS certainly ended with just that kind of vibe. The showrunners did a great job of keeping secret that Ziva would show up in the very last frame of the season. Everyone was sure she was dead, and while that’s often no […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 11th, 2019
“Don’t stop me now. I’m in the zone.” Every year at this time, I end up having to binge watch a ton of television. A lot of previous seasons get released on disc in anticipation of the new seasons about to get underway. It’s a daunting task that often makes me feel a little silly […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 6th, 2019
“Sam Hannah without a bomb is like Aquaman without… I got nothing.” This is absolutely an explosive year for NCIS: LA which just finished its 10th year, and now those episodes are together in one place thanks to CBS Home Entertainment. The series has become one of the most successful spin-off shows in the history […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 27th, 2019
“This is going to hurt … a lot!” If you are at all familiar with the NCIS franchise, you know that the show tends to follow a bit of a formula. Each spinoff has some unique style aspects, but the episodes tend to be relatively self-contained. That means you can start with Season 5 of […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 28th, 2018
NCIS is about to enter into its 16th season in just a short time. That in itself is a remarkable accomplishment in the days of short attention spans and hundreds of shows to keep that attention. What is more remarkable is that it continues to be the number one drama in the world. What could […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 17th, 2018
“We don’t have time for square one.” If you are at all familiar with the NCIS franchise, you know that the show tends to follow a bit of a formula. Each spinoff has some unique style aspects, but the episodes tend to be relatively self-contained. That means you can start with Season 4 of NCIS: […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 8th, 2017
There have been a lot of changes at NCIS over its 14 season run to date. Over time people have come and gone, but rarely has the series had to deal with so much change going into a new season. The most obvious of these has been the departure of Michael Weatherly as beloved character […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 15th, 2017
“Welcome back to New Orleans.” The most recent member of the NCIS family enters its third season. There are some changes, but not just in the show’s cast. I have noticed a concerted effort to use the term NOLA by both the characters and various signs and symbols displayed throughout the new season. It’s a […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on May 8th, 2017
If you weren’t around in the 1970’s you might be surprised to find out that film superstar Michael Douglas was once in a television cop show. It was this influential crime drama that allowed Douglas to show off the acting chops that would earn him a spot in the Hollywood elite for decades to come. […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 6th, 2016
NCIS: LA differs in several ways from NCIS or JAG. While LA is still a military show, that angle is downplayed here. The atmosphere for the team is more civilian-looking all the way around. There are seldom folks walking around in uniforms. The operations utilize more of the standard surveillance and undercover work. There’s a […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 28th, 2016
NCIS continues to be one of the top dramas on television. After 13 years, that’s a hard trick to pull off. With two spinoffs enjoying a pretty nice run, there are nearly 500 episodes of the franchise. The show just received a rare two-year extension and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. The show has […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 17th, 2016
“Put your game face on.” When you have the highest-rated drama on television, there is a temptation to milk it for all that you can. We’ve seen it happen with both the Law & Order and CSI franchises. The results tend to be mixed, with some capturing and even exceeding the popularity of the original. […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 9th, 2015
“It’s New Orleans; there’s always something bad coming.” When you have the highest-rated drama on television, there is a temptation to milk it for all that you can. We’ve seen it happen with both the Law & Order and CSI franchises. The results tend to be mixed, with some capturing and even exceeding the popularity […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 21st, 2015
“Let’s do it!” NCIS has become the number-one-rated television show in the world. It might stand alone in that distinction, but it certainly doesn’t stand alone. Last season saw a new spin-off that took us to New Orleans. It’s hard to believe that it was six years ago now that NCIS: Los Angeles took to […]
