I can't grade the current episode (and probably won't read many of the posts in this thread due to spoilers), because I am really behind on this show...being one of those newer viewers mentioned in the article posted by the OP.
I started watching this show only recently and totally by accident. I'm not a big fan of CSI, L&O or any of those shows, and I've never even seen an episode of JAG....so I pretty much ignored this show until recently. But I used to like that show Mark Harmon was on several years ago...and so when I was mindlessly flipping through the channels one day when I was taking an at-home vacation day, and came across this show, I gave it a try.
Long story short - I agree with Michael Weatherly - it is not somber/sober (ie 'boring and tedious' like so many procedural shows are for me). This show has got a unique personality, and I like it. The characters are all likeable...and there is a character or two for every possible taste because they are all so different from each other.
I also like the fact that this show does not take itself too seriously. The humor is great...and while at first I thought Gibbs was gonna be the least humorous character on the show, the more I watched the more I realize that in many ways the exact opposite is true. Also, I like the fact that, despite the 'military' setting, the show does very well at supporting a character like Abby - the message being 'we don't care how you dress...we just want the most talented and best suited person for the job'. In particular, I really get a kick out of the relationship between Gibbs and Abby - it's almost like a father/daughter thing, despite the fact that they are nothing alike in terms of personality or interests.
I also like the fact that, even in the 30 - 40 or so episodes I've seen so far, we see that all of these characters have their strengths and their weaknesses. For example, Gibbs is, on the surface, a tough former marine...but his murdered wife and child are always there in the background, informing some of his key choices and relationships. As another example, I recently saw an episode where we saw Ducky dealing with his past as well - the case of the Lt. Jane Doe who he was never able to identify.
Long story short, I only watch two procedural shows - this show and Bones. Bones had a hook for me bacause of David Boreanaz. But NCIS grapped me all on it's own, with no help from an actor who happened to be key player in Buffyverse.
And interestingly, both shows have kept me on the sofa primarily because of the use of humor and interplay between the (very different from each other) central characters.
I bought the first season of NCIS on DVD a few weeks back, and just ordered the rest during the Deep Discount DVD sale.
Wish I'd watched it all along...but glad I can get caught up, because it's a good show.
