NCIS: Cast & Creators Live at PALEYFEST

Lead by the Mark Harmon’s charismatically hardened Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the easy camaraderie and comic interplay among the regulars make “NCIS” one of the most engaging series of the new millennium. This William S. Paley Television Festival live event honors “NCIS,” the drama series about a Washington, D.C.-based team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Kevin Frazier (reporter, “Entertainment Tonight”) moderates the following panelists: executive producers Mark Horowitz and Chas. Floyd Johnson; co-executive producer Gary Glasberg; and cast members Rocky Carroll (Leon Vance), Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer), David McCallum (Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard), Mark Harmon (Leroy Jethro Gibbs), Michael Weatherly (Anthony DiNozzo), Cote de Pablo (Ziva David), and Sean Murray (Timothy McGee). The panelists touch on such topics as: the show’s recent attempt to incorporate character studies into the procedural drama format; McCallum’s longevity on TV, spanning from “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” in the 1960s to his current role; and the liberal use of guest stars like Robert Wagner on the show. Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: how far ahead story arcs are created; if Harmon is more comfortable with computers than his character; and the show’s relationship with the “real” NCIS.