NCIS – The Sixth Season (CBS DVD)
Picture: C Sound: C+ Extras: C Episodes: C
JAG is one of the worst TV shows ever
made, a sickening bore that would not die, was cancelled by NBC only to be
picked up by CBS and was enough of a moderate hit (and key filler in their down
years) to last for 10 inane seasons and even spawn a spin-off called NCIS that is still with us. Though a very weak show, it is lucky enough
to have Mark Harmon in the lead role and David McCallum (who is never in any
episode long enough) as a supporting medical investigator.
This Sixth Season is where we pick up, in
part because no one was interested here was interested in dealing with the
show, but now that it is here…
Despite
it being 23 years later, it still wants to ape Tony Scott’s 1986 hit Top Gun in its approach, editing, look
and some of its attitude. Along with
other would-be fancy editing and tired hit-you-over-the-head audio and visual
cues, someone needs to tell the makers (especially Donald P. Bellisario) that the
1980s are over and that this show is barely squeaking by. The 25 hour-longish episodes are indistinct,
the multi-part shows are no better and if this was better earlier on, that is
hard to imagine.
Add the
lack of character development, people talking at each other and other
homogenizing factors and this is still a bore.
The longer it runs, the worse it gets and the more of a waste of time it
is. Wonder how much longer they’ll try
to keep this one going?
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is likely at this point an all HD shoot
and the lack of detail, motion blur along with often substandard color
throughout would help confirm this.
Worst of all are the moments where the image goes (so it thinks) black
and white, but you can still see the gray scale of the color. Geez.
Then you get weak Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes and Dolby 2.0 Stereo mixes
that are even weaker. What gives? For a new show, it should not sound this dull
and even compressed. Extras include six making-of
featurettes and audio commentaries on select shows.
- Nicholas Sheffo
