Television took a break during the holidays, giving viewers just enough time to sip some eggnog and unwrap a few gifts before settling down in front of the tube once again. If the monthlong hiatus has you struggling to remember what’s happened so far, here’s a handy refresher course in what’s been going on with some of TV’s most popular shows:
The best is yet to come
“NCIS”
Tuesdays 8 p.m., CBS
Returns: Tonight
What you need to know: This ratings behemoth skyrocketed to record ratings this season, impressive for a show in its sixth year, a time when other shows may be losing viewership. This time around, our favorite NCIS agents are reeling from the death of Director Jenny Shepherd and are reassigned to different units as new director Leon Vance hands Special Agent Gibbs a new team with an ulterior motive: There is a mole within the agency, and he or she is one of Gibbs’ new agents. Agent Michelle Lee — whom audiences may remember as a former flame of coroner’s assistant Jimmy Palmer — kills a fellow agent to disguise her role as the mole. This nags at Gibbs as he is unconvinced the late Agent Langer was really the traitor inside NCIS. Lee is finally discovered, used as bait to discover who’s working with her and eventually killed by Gibbs as he attempts to apprehend her handler.
Why you should watch: It’s a crime procedural with a military twist, and it brings a healthy dose of comedy while keeping its focus on the characters, who are still evolving after six years. The show is also not afraid to tackle season-long arcs, which is somewhat rare in a television culture in which shows are sometimes reluctant to entrust audiences to understand complex plot lines and stick with them.
Who to watch for: Every successful show has the one character who just seems to make everyone around him/her better. For NCIS, Gibbs is that man. Mark Harmon’s performance is consistently solid, allowing fellow cast mates the room they need to mold their characters and take the considerable weight of a hit TV show off his shoulders. Likewise, Cote de Pablo as Israeli Mossad Officer Ziva David is quickly becoming one of TV’s biggest stars, and her will-they/won’t-they relationship with Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo keeps the show young and sexy.
