There aren’t too many television series that are around long enough to face the challenges that NCIS has. NCIS began as a series anchored by Silent Generation and Baby Boomer authority figures with a predominantly Gen X supporting cast. Today it is anchored by a Baby Boomer and a largely Gen X/Millennial ensemble. These were its early cast members:
| Actor | Part | Age Cohort |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Harmon | Leroy Jethro Gibbs | Baby Boomer |
| Sasha Alexander | Caitlin Todd | Gen X |
| Michael Weatherly | Anthony DiNozzo | Gen X |
| Pauley Perrette | Abby Sciuto | Gen X |
| Sean Murray | Timothy McGee | Gen X |
| David McCallum | Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard | Silent |
and these are its most recent cast members:
| Actor | Part | Age Cohort |
|---|---|---|
| Gary Cole | Alden Parker | Baby Boomer |
| Sean Murray | Timothy McGee | Gen X |
| Wilmer Valderrama | Nick Torres | Gen X |
| Katrina Law | Jessica Knight | Millennial |
| Brian Dietzen | Dr. Jimmy Palmer | Gen X |
| Diona Reasonover | Kasie Hines | Millennial |
The recurring cast once reinforced the show’s multigenerational feel. Characters played by Ralph Waite, Muse Watson, and Joe Spano represented parents, mentors, and longtime colleagues rather than peers. Those kinds of recurring older characters have largely disappeared.
I presume that most of its audience are Baby Boomers. Will the transition in the cast enable it to capture viewers of a younger cohort? Frankly, I doubt it. No scripted broadcast network show has a scripted series that skews towards younger viewers. Even the streaming audience for scripted shows skews older.
I suspect CBS is just trying to hold onto the audience it has.
I’m pre-boomer, born 1943. I no longer watch news broadcasts or any prime time TV. Living in rural Ohio, we have DirectV and streaming (500 channels, and nothing to watch [rock reference]). Most nights my wife and I just read, and go to bed early. I sometimes wonder why we have a television.
Well, there is still football, both pro and college, so may be that is enough to justify a TV and DirectV. Other sports have joined soccer in TV Hell.
While TV entertainment has died and rotted, more importantly, both local and national news programs have degenerated into happy talk and fluff. The major war in Europe, which could escalated into WW III, is ignored. The major war in the Middle East, which could precipitate a Second Great Depression, is ignored, unless there are some colorful fireworks to show, and there is no description (never mind analysis) of major events.
Years ago, my wife and I did watch NCIS, Law and Order (Where have you gone Jill Hennesy?), and even the evening news. We watched NBA playoffs, and I watched the Red Sox with my sister in NH by phone.