Should NCIS: Red Get a Second Chance?

There are a few excuses out there as to why NCIS: Red didn’t really take off, but one reason that’s more important most is that it wasn’t as attractive to the fans as those in charge were thinking it would be. When the fans aren’t willing to accept something it’s a sure sign that something wasn’t meant to be, even if it was a sound idea that should have gone off without a hitch. The frustrating part of show business isn’t that it’s unpredictable, since that aspect is kind of nice since it gives the impression that anything can happen at any time. What’s really frustrating is that there are times when the shows that have more potential end up getting cut while those that are flat-out ridiculous from the start end up sticking around for a while. It kind of proves that fans don’t always know best, since a lot of folks are bound to follow trends instead of being drawn to the stories that are more compelling. That’s the nature of humanity though, we’re often drawn to things in ways that don’t make sense and want to believe that what we ignored didn’t really have much worth to it. To be fair, NCIS started to go off the rails just a little bit when it first introduced NCIS: Los Angeles, even though it makes sense to have departments around the country to better answer the various threats and cases that are under their jurisdiction. But it still feels as though the spinoff show took a beating before it could really get going.

NCIS: Red didn’t even get that chance since it had the door slammed on it before hitting the tarmac. The premise of the show was pretty simple, they were NCIS, but they were a mobile unit that went to various places and dealt with high-level threats while living in mobile command centers with one another. That feels exhausting to be certain since trying to imagine being stuck in the same space with the same people for long stretches sounds more than a little difficult, but there are plenty of people across the world that make do, so it’s possible that this aspect wasn’t what turned fans against it. But apart from other reasons that might be why this happened, it’s hard to determine why this show didn’t vibe with the fans and why it wasn’t allowed to have a single season. Bringing it back now kind of feels as though it would be risky, but it could be something that might remind the fans that it was there in the first place, and could possibly be the next show in line to carry the NCIS name and do so proudly. If the same cast members were to return it does feel likely that it might be given a mixed reaction at best. The truth is that the current NCIS shows have been around so long that trying to one-up them or even build off of them feels as though it could backfire in a big way and could even worse, could take it completely out of the conversation for good.

There have been rumors rolling around that Mark Harmon is thinking of stepping down from NCIS, and while they may or may not be true, there’s not much of a show without him since even the cast members that have been there for a while aren’t quite enough to keep it going in the minds of many people. NCIS: Red could be a logical step up to try and keep the brand working and keep it around, but it would need someone in the lead role that would have at least a couple of the same qualities that Gibbs has since that’s a big part of what’s kept the show going for so long, the no-nonsense attitude that Gibbs has been able to bring to the show. If someone could be found to head up the show in such a manner it does feel that NCIS: Red should be given another chance. People need to remember what it was like when it was Gibbs, Tony, Ducky, and Abby, right before Kate showed up and completed the team. Well, okay, almost completed it, since McGee kind of completed the team and made everything work in a big way. But that chemistry is what’s needed, and while NCIS: LA and NCIS: NOLA have both shown that type of chemistry, it just hasn’t been the same since the initial show really pulled together bigger than life personalities that weren’t muted and were allowed to be what they needed to be, rough and edgy and bound to collide at times. If NCIS: Red could be restructured to show that kind of chemistry while still maintaining the integrity of the idea, then it might be worth bringing it back.