NCIS: What Will Happen in Season 8?

NCIS is now on hiatus and many fans are already sending in their wish lists for Season 8 to Shane Brennon and Company. Things we want to see and things we could very well do without. It is a fun discussion that has been started over on the NCIS CBS site which can be found here.

Since opinions often vary, even in the most rabid of fandoms, there have been many suggestions tossed around. Some of them are simple and some are really far out there. But that is the fun of being a fan with a wish list, right? Here are some of the suggestions that most of the fans seem to agree on -

Wants

More Action and Team Interaction -

Most NCIS fans love to see their men (or Ziva) in action. This means gun fights, explosions and hand to hand fights. NCIS would not be NCIS without Ziva David kicking some butt. And don't we women enjoy seeing Gibbs and Tony flex their muscles from time to time? I certainly enjoyed Gibbs holding his own against the psycho drill sergeant in "Red Cell." Tony in the bar fight during the "Faith" episode made my year. Yes, definitely more of the macho manliness please. By the way - how about we give McGee some air time to flex his muscles, too? McGee is no longer just the "computer geek." He has become a more capable NCIS agent over the years and while not as capable as Gibbs or Tony, he could still hold his own in a fight.

Also, we fans have decided that we like our team working together instead of separately. If our team is separated how do we get the banter that we love so much? We don't. Speaking of team interaction, a lot of fans would like to see a little of that interaction after hours as well. Not romantically speaking but in a friends go to a bar and have a drink together after work type of thing. Or how about a barbecue at Casa Gibbs? Or a Halloween party at Abby's? She already has the coffin. Give us more of what we saw in last year's Thanksgiving episode, "Child's Play."

More Complex And Interesting Cases-

This was a direct quote from someone's wish list and this wish was thoroughly embraced and seconded by the NCIS community.

Many of us felt that this past season of NCIS held the weakest cases of any previous year. In the past, I stayed on the edge of my seat during the entire program wondering who the heck did whatever awful crime was spotlighted that week. This season, I had it figured out within the first 20 minutes, which is unusual since I am not the brightest crayon in the box. I definitely would not make a great detective or federal agent. So how was I figuring these cases out so quickly? The cases were weak.

It has been said that NCIS was making this past season a year of getting to know the characters more intimately. While I enjoyed this, I would have liked the quality of the cases to have been upheld. If this could not be done in an episode, then don't have a case at all. The intricate workings of the case is one of the things that made NCIS so enjoyable to watch.

Going hand in hand with the more complex and interesting case wish was the wish that had our team of NCIS agents working on a carrier or some other type of naval vessel. Rock Creek Park has to be the most hostile place on the entire planet with all the deaths that seem to occur there.

See More Of (Fill In Character)

Many fans want to see more of certain characters. Who? Well, judging by the votes NCIS fans would like to see more appearances by our favorite FBI agent Tobias Fornell. Yes, no two people scream Odd Couple more than Fornell and Gibbs and don't we fans love watching these two together? Mike Franks - another friend of Gibbs and a fan favorite. Jackson Gibbs, father of our silver haired leader rounds out the three guests NCIS fans like to see visit Gibbs and the team.

Speaking of fathers - NCIS fans want to see Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. return to see his son. While most NCIS fans do not care for the way the senior DiNozzo has reared Tony, they do not feel that their story is finished yet. We fans are still left in the dark about some things regarding Tony's childhood and we feel that this visit was a little rushed and would like to see more of Robert Wagner and the character he plays. This is especially true if we get to see more of Papa Gibbs vs. Papa DiNozzo arguing over their "son."

While Jimmy Palmer is not a guest we fans want to see more of the autopsy gremlin. Jimmy has definitely won a place in the NCIS fans hearts and we would like to see more of him interacting with the rest of the team, especially Tony.

Stop Messing With The Character's We Love

We all know that our favorite characters grow and develop over the years. The longer a show is on, the more the characters develop. While we are willing to accept that, we NCIS fans are not going to accept our favorite characters being changed in a way that makes them not themselves anymore.

NCIS fans are tired of never knowing which Tony DiNozzo they are going to see on a certain episode of NCIS. One episode may have a witty, yet competent, DiNozzo while the next episode has a completely ridiculous and anything but smart DiNozzo. This cannot be tolerated.

Tony DiNozzo is a charming, funny, sometimes inept but usually very competent NCIS agent. Tony hides his fears and sadness behind a clown's mask and we understand that. NCIS fans do not want a totally serious Tony DiNozzo - that would ruin the show. However, having Tony put on a fake nose and mustache or have him wear a gas mask and hold up a sign saying, "Hi, I'm Tony," while trying to chat with people on the internet is taking it way too far. None of Tony's fans were laughing. We want the smart, charming, slightly inept but competent, funny and sometimes juvenile Tony that we fell in love with a long time ago.

The same thing can be said of Abby, but not as much. Sometimes we get the sweet, lovable but sexy Abby and other times we get the sweet, lovable but childish Abby. Having Abby be sweet and childlike is one thing - we love her that way. But we do not enjoy Abby's temper tantrums or other childish qualities that are not endearing.

Many NCIS fans want to know what is up with McGee as well. Sure, we expect him to grow. No, we do not want him to be Tony's straight guy all his life. We enjoy watching McGee stand up to Tony and the banter that ensues. What NCIS fans do not like to see is McGee getting snarky or vicious with his teasing or his comebacks. This has been evidenced in many episodes most notably "Singled Out," in the 4th season and "Legends" in the 6th season. I had hoped, after seeing the first few episodes of Season 7, that McGee's snarkiness and acting mean towards Tony had stopped and for the most part it had - then along came, "Flesh and Blood." I want the writers at NCIS to level McGee out, too.

More Tony/Gibbs Moments

Oh, how we NCIS fans love the Tony/Gibbs relationship. While we all have our own fix on what this relationship means - good friends, mentor/student, and the most popular one, father/son - we love it. I thought I was the only one who started watching NCIS simply because I loved the father/son relationship between Tony and Gibbs, however, I soon found out I was not in the minority on this subject.

The Tony/Gibbs relationship on NCIS surpasses any other relationship on NCIS in popularity, including the Tony/Ziva relationship. While the Tiva and anti-Tiva camps are pretty much split in two, I have never once seen an NCIS fan complain of too much Tony/Gibbs time. In fact, everyone seems to agree that when NCIS pairs Michael Weatherly (Tony) and Mark Harmon (Gibbs) on the screen, it ignites.

Some of the most popular moments of NCIS last season had to do with this pairing. The ending of "Flesh and Blood," when Gibbs and Tony ate a steak together and talked about Tony's father was a highlight. When Tony visited Gibbs in his basement after his "obsession" died, fans stated that this one minute (along with Michael Weatherly's acting throughtout an otherwise bad and unbelievable episode) was the only thing good about "Obsession." Need I say more writers? All you have to do is put Michael Weatherly and Mark Harmon together and you have gold - so do it.

Finding Out How Gibbs And Tony Met

This is the most popular request by NCIS fans. Seems everyone wants to know exactly why Tony DiNozzo, playboy extraordinaire, was hired by Gibbs. Not that we NCIS fans don't believe Tony deserves to be on Team Gibbs - we definitely do. It's just - we've been wondering about this since the first season. In "Hung Out To Dry," Kate asks Tony how he came to work for NCIS. Tony replied, "I smiled." This sparked our curiosity and we're still wondering six seasons later. It is time for NCIS to put us out of our misery.

NCIS fans would like an episode (maybe two) where this is explained. Many think that there was a joint case between NCIS and Baltimore PD where the two of them met. Tony and Gibbs worked the case, put the bad guy away and Gibbs was impressed enough to hire Tony. What kind of case would it be that Gibbs would be so impressed with Tony after just meeting him that Gibbs would hire Tony? It would have to be pretty big since we all know that Leroy Jethro Gibbs is not easily impressed - or charmed for that matter.

Since the season 3 episode "Frame-Up," in which Gibbs knew automatically who Tony was talking about when he referred to Mike Macaluso, many NCIS fans feel this was the case. Tony was undercover (which is another wish - more Tony undercover) doing what he does best and rounded up a big mafia guy. Maybe a mafia guy that killed a Navy officer - thus Gibbs joining up with the operation? Hmmm. In the words of Arte Johnson, "This could be veeerrrryy interesting."

Macaluso, or some of his men, could get out of prison and make it their job to get rid of Tony - and possibly Gibbs. While trying to stay alive and weed out the bad guys, the rest of the team could learn how Tony was hired. NCIS fans believe that Abby and Ducky, having already been on team Gibbs when Tony joined, would know. We fans could learn about this while Ziva, Tim, Jimmy and Vance are finding out as well. Let's make it a two part episode since we don't want to rush it.

Don't Wants

No Big Romances

NCIS fans concur that while they love Tony DiNozzo and like to see a lot of him, they did not enjoy season 4 that much. Why? Because Tony was involved with Jeanne Benoit, which took up a lot of time on screen. While NCIS fans want our characters to be happy and know that they are all sexy enough to be wanted by the opposite sex, we do not want a big deal made out of it. No more Jeannes, Michaels, Colonel Manns, or M. Allison Harts. NCIS is about the family - the main characters - and their relationships.

If any of the team has a boyfriend or girlfriend make it like Jimmy Palmer's relationship. See her a few times at the end of an episode, mention having double dates, etc. but don't dwell on it. With that said, the NCIS fans are basically split between having Tiva and not having Tiva.

Finishing Up Storylines and Leaving Them Behind

Many NCIS fans are tired of the whole Mossad storyline and want it to be over with and done. If NCIS is going to have Eli David try to get his daughter back - do it soon and then get it over with. NCIS fans seem to be tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop and want it all in the past.

While we NCIS fans love the fact that Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a great father and husband and we cry with him when he remembers his daughter and wife, the storyline surrounding their deaths is getting old. NCIS brought it to a head at the end of season 7 and NCIS fans are sure that there will be more to the telling of this storyline at the first of season 8.

With Mike Franks and Tony DiNozzo hooking up in Mexico and Paloma entering Jackson Gibbs' store in Stillwater, PA, we are sure that the first of next season should be very exciting. We are looking forward to seeing Tony and Mike pair up and have all gotten a kick out of the fact that Mike is calling Tony "Probie." We want to see Jackson Gibbs come out of this unscathed. Tony and Franks - we want them alive. Many of us are still wondering whether Gibbs even knows that Vance has sent Tony to Mexico (dangerous territory) without any backup. Most NCIS fans are hoping that Gibbs did not know since we cannot wrap our minds around the fact that Gibbs would risk Tony's life by doing this. NCIS fans would like to see Papa Gibbs storm Vance's office after finding out. While a lot of us have warmed to Vance, we still like to watch Papa Gibbs in action - especially if Tony is hurt during this caper.

That being said, once the excitement is over with, we want this storyline dropped. No, we don't want Kelly and Shannon's names to be banned from NCIS - they are part of Gibbs' past. We will still mourn with him over their loss - we just don't want to hear about their deaths anymore. Times they spent with Gibbs? Sure. Revenge? No, not once this is done

Not As Many Big Name Guest Stars

The most popular non-wish - the dreaded Big Name Guest Star. NCIS fans are tired of most of the screen time being given away to big name stars. We understand that big name stars are easier to pull in now that NCIS has become the #1 Drama on Television, however, we love our team. NCIS is not about who will guest star - it is about the characters we have come to know and love over the past 7 seasons.

Give us good stories with our NCIS family of Team Gibbs and we will be happy indeed. So Shane Brennan - if you and your team are reading through the internet and find this article - please heed my words. If you do not believe that this is the majority vote and believe I am making my own wish list - then head over to my favorite NCIS site and find out for yourself. Then please write accordingly.