NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service--The Complete Second Season

My introduction to NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service came last spring as I watched several episodes of the third season with my wife and mother-in-law. I've enjoyed the program immensely, and with the DVD releases of Seasons One and Two, I have been able to do some catching up watching the show's earlier episodes.

The series follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which handles crimes connected to personnel of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, ranging from murder and kidnapping to espionage and terrorism. Created by Donald Bellisario (Quantum Leap, JAG), NCIS originally began as a two-part episode of JAG in the spring of 2003. The program then debuted on CBS as a stand-alone series in September of that same year.

Returning cast members from Season One include Mark Harmon stars as special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the no-nonsense leader of the NCIS team. Gibbs' teammates include former Secret Service agent Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander), special agent and former homicide detective Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), forensics expert/goth chick Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) and Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum, best remembered as The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s Ilya Kuryakin), a quirky medical examiner. Rookie agent Tim McGee (Sean Murray), who was a recurring character in Season One, is now an NCIS regular.

Season Two begins to deepen the show's characters, developing them and their working relationships with each other progressing from the previous season. Bellisario gets us more involved in the characters and the program, and he does a great job of building up toward the climax of the season. Season Two ends with a bang and serves well to set up the show's third season.

This six-disc DVD set includes all 23 episodes of the second season of NCIS, plus several bonus features. The featurettes "Investigating Season 2" and "What's New in Season Two" provide a behind-the-scenes look at making of the second season episodes. "The Real N.C.I.S." goes inside the real life Naval Criminal Investigative Service featuring interviews with actual NCIS agents. This featurettes examines the differences between the TV program and the real NCIS, but also goes into how the writers consult with the real NCIS to develop realistic storylines for the show. Finally, Pauley Perrette takes us on a tour of the lab on the NCIS set.

NCIS has quickly become one of my favorite television programs over the last year, and the DVD sets for Seasons One and Two have helped me catch up with the show's past. I look forward to the Season Three set, due for release on April 24^th. NCIS: The Complete First Season is an absolute must-have for fans for the program, and a great introduction for newcomers to the show.