Review – NCIS: Los Angeles: Identity
Review, Television | Gerald So | September 23, 2009 at 8:48 am
Gunned down at the end of last season’s NCIS two-parter, “Legend,” Special Agent Callen returns to the Office of Special Projects to lead an investigation into Cmdr. Frank McGuire, a satellite analyst kidnapped and killed after a high-speed chase with the LAPD.
I’m still skeptical that NCIS needs a spinoff, but when a show has six seasons of ratings success I guess you have to try. While the original NCIS was noticeably grittier and faster-paced than JAG, NCIS: Los Angeles hasn’t distinguished itself as quickly from its parent show. I give it credit for dropping Louise Lombard, who played Clara Macy in “Legend.” Macy had a connection to Gibbs, but she was more or less a female Gibbs. That said, Gibbs and Macy had distinct backgrounds. I found it hard to relate to new lead Callen. He’s a master of assumed identity who knows next to nothing about himself, not even his full name. New to the cast for the series is Linda Hunt as Hetty Lange. Similar to Q in the James Bond movies, her presence is on par with NCIS’s Ducky.
Clearly NCIS: Los Angeles wants to duplicate the chemistry of the original NCIS team, and there is some between Callen and L.L. Cool J’s Sam Hanna. (I didn’t quite believe L.L. as an ex-SEAL; he gets winded after chasing a car maybe a hundred feet. I guess it depends how long ago he was a SEAL.) The rest of the cast plays at chemistry, but I don’t feel it yet.
“Identity” had the action of NCIS but almost none of the forensics. The writers tried for a similarly twisty plot. At first, it looked like Cmdr. McGuire betrayed his country to work for a Mexican drug cartel. The team discovered the cartel had kidnapped McGuire’s niece Emma to force his cooperation, and they raced to find Emma before the cartel could use McGuire’s knowledge against a U.S.-Mexican drug interdiction operation.
This was all watchable enough, but at a key point, Emma’s father Luis called her mother with NCIS was listening. Because he was Emma’s father, NCIS stopped listening. I knew then that Luis had kidnapped Emma.
Summing up, if the characters/actors develop the chemistry they’re playing at, and if the plots are better disguised, I can see NCIS: Los Angeles becoming more than watchable, but fun, too.
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The first episode of NCIS Los Angeles left me empty. I disagree with the dropping of dropping Louise Lombard (Mace) from the backdoor pilot. Even though she was similar to Gibbs and the two had chemistry, moving her into a role administrative (boss) and less fieldwork (Gibbs) would have been a more prudent move. Chemistry may be what ultimately makes this show work. However, in my opinion Daniela Ruah’s character has no chemistry with anyone in the show. I got the distinct feeling, when they needed a body in the scene, the director screamed; “Stand in!” and she just happened to hear it. Nothing against her personally, I just feel the producers have dropped her character in as an afterthought. In today’s competitive landscape of television viewing and the sheer number of choices available, I am not sure viewers will stick around too long to be clued in and watch the chemistry develop with the entire cast. They will just tune in elsewhere.
I also feel that NCIS LA didn’t catch my interest as well. I like Mace and they need to bring back Mace having Chris O Donnald as the head person just doesn’t work. Plus having two simi big stars LL Cool J and O’Donnell trying to steal the spot light doesn’t work. One or the other not both. I like the head ops lady she was really cool and the rest of the cast seems they have some big shoes to fill. I think they need to have Mark Harmon and producer as well since he’s been a producer for NCIS they all have been very good. So they need him to help on LA to get it to work. I will give LA a chance a little longer, but they losr my wife who really didn’t like it at all.
2 words…no, 2 letters. P U.
El-stinkeroo.
The acting was wooden. Where was the Naval in NCIS? Hell, where was the investigative in NCIS?
Hetty is NOT Ducky Mallard. Not even close.
LL Cool J a SEAL? That one ain’t flyin’ either. This show reeks. Can it be saved? Yes. Here’s how?
1. Bring in Mark Harmon as director and bring in the writers from NCIS. and get rid of the people who are currently ruining the show before it’s too late.
2. Give us forensics and police work with a military twist. That is why people like NCIS. If we wanted what I saw last night, we could watch Miami Vice reruns.
3. Connect the 2 shows.
4. Linda Hunt is a good actress. This role is terrible. She should have been a forensics expert like Mallard.
5. High profile cases? Chinese weapons smuggling with military help. Mexican drug smuggling with military help. Illegal aliens attempting to enter the military to avoid capture. Los Zetas. Good LORD, hire me, I’ll give you stuff people will watch and a show which will endure.
This one will go down with all hands unless something is done ASAP.
I shut it down after about eight minutes as I was not into a couple of hip hops jesters… and lots of goodies that works better on 24…
Wow, totally different form the pilot. But that had Gibbs in it so I guess I fell for their gimmick. Linda Hunt needs to go. Now. I don’t know what her purpose is supposed to be. The rest of the show was, well blah also. They better fix it quick or it won’t last long. NCIS it ain’t.
It will have to get better than this to keep me awake until 10:00.
LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell have great chemistry, but it was more of the same stuff. Shane Brennan can try, but he’s no Donald Bellisario. I’ll keep watching just for the NCIS label. Full review of the episode on my blog.
http://th3tvobsessed.blogspot.com/2009/09/ncis-los-angeles-more-of-same-quality.html
NCIS Los Angeles? I thought the Navy was in San Diego! Does the Navy need a “secret hideout” what’s with that. I tried to watch it and get into it, but it’s no relation to the real NCIS. Too much over-the-top technical gimmickry.
I may try to stomach one more show. Otherwise, I have better ways to spend my time.
I agree with the other comments. LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell are too young too be the team lead and having the director appear on-screen just doesn’t cut it. Linda Hunt’s character seems to be some kind of Mom/accountant type…makes sure they fill out their paperwork, dress in appropriate clothing and then tucks them into bed??? That was just a stupid sideline to the story. Ducky she’s not. I’ll give it a couple of weeks out of respect for the real NCIS but if they don’t get something going quick, this one shouldn’t make it. And yeah, what’s with the hidden head office?
If NCIS were true to life, all of the team members would be uptight middle aged family men with buzz cuts.
It kinda sucked and I was looking to see if everyone agreed. it seems we do
The show had the overtones of a Steven Seagal movie. It lost me when Callen asked Kensi if she was still spending her weekends “up at Pendleton.” This mistake could have been a misread by O’Donnell, but since he lives in LA it would seem unlikely. The devil’s in the details.
Bad show and worst photography. I’ll be watching the other programs in the same time slot.
I love the original NCIS but I was left disappointed with the spin off, NCIS LA. Not only are the notable character traits gone with LA but also missing is the science and forensics that made the original NCIS so very interesting.
If the writers were to incorporate the lab and (ME)Medical Examiner roles, along with the autopsy and crime scene investigation that NCIS does, I beleive that this series would truly soar.
If not, then it is only a humorist version of CSI with a little “Beverly Hills 90210″ thrown in and very little “crime show” genre that NCIS and CSI are famous for.
It absolutely sucked, typical big tv companys tryin to make money of something that used to be so good, in my opinion even the real ncis is starting to suck abit, ncis investigates crime within the navy, so why now start all this undercover stuff with terrorist organisations. Come on do you think the cia would let them away with that? Bring back bellisario, get rid of brennan and harman should just stick to acting! Great show being sucked dry!
Fell asleep. Nuff said.
I thoroughly enjoyed the original NCIS and tolerated “Abbey”. But, this LA spin is just
c-h-e-e-z-y… Fortunately, I can watch taped re-runs of Boston Legal and never tire of the antics of Shatner and Spader.
The “Second” week was no better than week 1. I gave them 3 weeks and so far they’ve missed twice.
This is a military operation, but they are acting like some Private detective company. This group needs a leader. Ladies Love Cool James and Chris O’Donnell are agents and the ones going undercover … they are not the team leaders. People said Macy had been stiff. Ask yourself …wouldn’t you if you had a running dispute, “falling out”, with Gibbs and he was standing in your space and questioning your ability.
By-the-way … what undercover operation(s) have you seen … NONE. What’s the reason or purpose of the other people. The computer guy is never on the computer and it looks like the rookie has no police background.
In week 2, what’s with Daniela Ruah’s character getting into the back seat of the car with a handfull of paper to go to the bathroom? Did they have a can back there or cut a hole in the seat??? Come on… please.
15 Minutes and I could take no more of NCIS Los Angeles. I thought I would have to kill myself it was so bad. NCIS is the best. This Spin Off is worse than dog poo!!
Wow…I am so glad people agree. This week’s episode was painful. My husband and I quit half way through and cancelled future recordings. It’s not nearly as good as the original.
Bring back Mace, get rid of the OLD LADY (she has been playing those kind of roles a lot an it’s getting old to watch her anymore as those characters), get the other girls as the M.E. and gee, what about a forenzics person. Like another “Abby”. Ah, just get rid of this show and bring back “The Unit”, leave the wives out of it, let the Rangers show us what they do best (Since they have “The Army Wives” on Sunday nights with known actresess and unknown actors ) and just leave it at that. I thought the NCIS: Los Angeles was going to be good but it fizzled out on the firs episode this season. Better yet, just rewrite Jag a little and it would be a GREAT show, and just take off the new NCIS:LA, Sorry, just my opinion.
In my estimation this is a LAME knock off. Absent LL Cool J and Linda Hunt the cast is mediocre on a good day and the story lines are less than believable. Chris O’Donnell is simply not the right person for the role he’s assumed. The remainder of the cast is trying to do their best but lack any of the chemistry of the parent NCIS.
I think NCIS LA is not compelling. I think it lacks the wit and chemistry that is the winning formula for original NCIS. Its kind of like buying a cubic zirconia (LA) instead of a real diamond(NCIS original), sad but true for the comparison in these shows. The characters in LA are too much a pale imitation of the original NCIS that lacks originality of character development to the point that it just isn’t worth watching. I feel like the chemistry on the show seems forced in a way that isn’t genuine. I can see the potential but it just doesn’t seem to have that same feeling and it misses the mark.