Ratings grow for crime drama - 'NCIS' hangs tough despite 'Idol' chatter.

CBS

"NCIS" stars Mark Harmon in a crime drama that has continued in second place against what has to be the toughest competitor on TV -- "American Idol." But "NCIS" is gaining ground among viewers, with ratings going up through each of the show's five seasons. CBS has ordered 27 episodes for the sixth season, which starts in September.

By Rick Bentley / The Fresno Bee

05/19/08 17:00:19

VALENCIA -- "NCIS" is the Rodney Dangerfield of television dramas. It is a show that gets no respect.

Only one Emmy nomination has come its way, and that was for a guest-starring role by Charles Durning. CBS boss Les Moonves lamented there wasn't a show that could compete with the Fox Network's "American Idol." And yet "NCIS" has continued to be a solid second place against the toughest competitor on the air.

The only place where respect appears to be growing is with viewers. The ratings have gotten stronger through each of the show's five seasons. CBS has ordered 27 episodes for the sixth season that starts in September.

"I think we are doing the show better now," says series star Mark Harmon when asked why the ratings have grown. "This show has fought from the beginning for everything it has gained."

Harmon is taking advantage of the warm spring day. The "NCIS" star is seated outside his trailer just a few steps from the stages where the CBS series films. He's reading the script for the next episode.

Filming the series proceeds at a frantic pace because the writers' strike cut the number of days of production. And everyone is pushing to produce the entire season despite the long hiatus. That means the cast and crew have been working on two shows at the same time.

Harmon is not caught up in the turmoil. That's because he's been doing this a long time. Since his professional acting debut in 1975 on shows like "Police Woman" and "Emergency," Harmon has starred in a long list of TV shows and films.

He knew as soon as he read the first "NCIS" script he wanted the role of the gruff, demanding Naval Criminal Investigative Service boss. He leads the team investigating crimes that generally involve members of the Navy or Marines.

"What we all recognized [was] that there were characters in the script we wanted to play. And there was humor," Harmon says. "But as soon as I saw his name was Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I knew this was going to be a great character."

Harmon credits the chemistry among the cast members for making the show strong. He calls the "NCIS" team the most talented ensemble cast he has ever worked with. This is coming from a guy who starred on "St. Elsewhere" with the likes of William Daniels, Howie Mandel and Denzel Washington.

One of his co-stars, David McCallum, also brings a long list of acting credits to the role. Before this series, McCallum was best known for his role of Illya Kuryakin on the series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."

The first meeting with McCallum was exciting for Harmon because he was a fan of the '60s spy show.

"I told him I can't imagine I am shaking Illya Kuryakin's hand. McCallum says, 'Good God man, that was 41 years ago.' And then he walked away from me," Harmon says with a smile.

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