Here's How NCIS Fans Really Feel About The Latest Seasons
After continuously airing for a really long time, any show is bound to go through changes. Whether these occur behind the scenes or in front of the camera, there is simply no methodology to keep any show, even a hugely successful one, exactly the same for that long. No matter how well-rated a show is, most people realize that every television series has an end date (yes, even "The Simpsons" eventually, we assume). The tricky part is deciding when that show's time to end has come. Pull the plug too early, and fans will revolt and money will be lost. Wait too late, however, and you risk redefining "jumping the shark."
After 19 seasons on CBS, "NCIS" fans are beginning to question whether the show has gone on too long. Viewership for the series peaked in the middle of Season 10 in the episode after Mossad Director Eli David (Michael Nouri) is killed in a drive-by shooting that also claims the life of Jackie Vance (Paula Newsome), the wife of Rocky Carroll's NCIS Director Leon Vance (via SpoilerTV+). Although ratings are one indicator of how a show is faring, another useful metric can be IMDb reviews. Somewhat surprisingly, the highest-voted episode of "NCIS" is the Season 13 finale; Michael Weatherly's final appearance on the series as Anthony DiNozzo is currently rated 9.3/10 (via IMDb).
The important question for the series at this point is: Do people still like "NCIS"?
Fans think NCIS is probably past its prime but still enjoyable
A recent post on the "NCIS" subreddit posed the question of if the series is even worth watching now. The most common complaints from fans are associated with the high number of characters that have left the series during the course of its unprecedented run. As a result of the significant number of departures from "NCIS" since 2003, many fans have a tendency to even break the show up into eras.
Reddit user FanEu953 asked the initial question, before saying that "I heard there are a lot of cast changes [on "NCIS"] which I don't like." They go on to compare the series to CBS police procedural "Criminal Minds," which endured similar cast issues throughout its long run. Other Reddit users also compared their problems with "NCIS" to "Criminal Minds," a series which lasted for 15 seasons with many cast changes over the years. Reddit user sparkplug_23 said that while they thought Seasons 1 through 11 of "NCIS" were "amazing," they considered the show to be on a "slow decline since."
Another commenter, Reddit user hbkjrt14, said that the latest seasons of "NCIS" are better than some prior seasons and noted that the series has endured a rough patch, specifying that "1-13 are good, 14 and 15 are a little rough, 16-18 [are] almost a different show." The user also stated that "NCIS" has "definitely found its groove" in recent years.