One of NCIS’s continuing strengths has been its ability to tap top talent without age, gender or racial bias.
From the beginning, the skillful expertise of veterans Mark Harmon and David McCallum lit up the screen in a television landscape that, at that time, still was littered with a glut of second-rate reality shows featuring cardboard cutout 20-somethings with little charisma.
Thankfully, that trend has reversed itself, and the woefully under-talented “reality stars” have gone back to their day jobs in the 14 years that NCIS has been on the air.
Tonight’s episode, “Nonstop,” goes back to that “well of experience” and gathers a cast that is a few miles north of 20-something but has a truckload of talent.
Returning to the canvas as “The Sherlocks,” a group of amateur sleuths of which Ducky (McCallum) was once a member, are Robert Wagner, Jessica Walter and Richard Riehle, in another homage to MURDER: SHE WROTE.
Riehle, at 68, is the baby of the group, and Walter, 76, are both veterans of MURDER: SHE WROTE, while Wagner’s Anthony DiNozzo Sr. has joined The Sherlocks since their NCIS last appearance in 2015.
As they would say in Cabot Cove, “Aaayep, that’s an awful lot of talent you got there.”
Tonight, the murder of a Petty Officer in a small town outside D.C. prompts NCIS to once again work with “The Sherlocks.” The privately funded investigative group not only has Senior as a newer member, but Palmer (Brian Dietzen) has joined the ranks of the clue crew, as well.
Thankfully, NCIS continues to realize that it is not just about the looks (which the cast definitely has), it is about the craft. And nobody does it better. At 14 years, NCIS remains the number one drama on the air.
“Aaayep, that’s an awful lot of talent you got there.”
NCIS also stars Sean Murray, Rocky Carroll, Emily Wickersham, Wilmer Valderrama, Jennifer Esposito and Duane Henry. Guest stars on “Nonstop,” are Nick Jandi, Steven Cox, Kristina Kiebe, Austin Highsmith, Michael Broderick, Hermie Castillo and Russell Nauman. Todd Louiso returns as Sherlock, Lyle Waznicki.
NCIS airs tonight on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT in the U.S. and on Global in Canada.
