Guns and gumbo, bullets and beignets.’NCIS: New Orleans’ has a rich history and location to explore. Its first series hit DVD this week…
Pictured L-R: Zoe McLellan as Special Agent Meredith “Merri” Brody, Lucas Black as Special Agent Christopher LaSalle, CCH Pounder as Dr. Loretta Wade, and Scott Bakula as Special Agent Dwayne Pride Photo: Michele K. Short/CBS 2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
NCIS is officially the most popular show in the world – it’s figures demonstrate that week after week, year after year even in its thirteenth season. The show spun-off from another hit show on America’s CBS network, JAG and has now spawned two spin-offs. NCIS: Los Angeles in now in its seventh year but the latest part of the Naval Criminal Investigation Service is set somewhere even more exotic.
NCIS: New Orleans is, as the title gives away, placed in Louisiana and the city where good times roll. A major port famous for its music, food, partying – being one of two American cities that can legally serve alcohol around the clock, the resulting tourists and a stop-off for navy members on ‘shore leave’ its potential for drama is quite obvious, both in real life and in a primetime television show. New Orleans – or N’Awlins if you’re local or know your beignets from your bayou – proves a great location with the show wisely filming as much as it can in the city itself – there are plenty of street scenes and not just the famous ones such as Bourbon and Decateur.
You need a strong lead for such a show. NCIS has Mark Harmon and NCIS: New Orleans has Quantum Leaper Scott Bakula as team-leader Dwayne Pride. There’s some truth to the fact that in the ‘Cresent City‘ two-parter that seeded the spin-off in the main show, Bakula pours on the local accent a little too thickly (the repetitious ‘brutha becomes a distracting affectation rather than endearing) but it levels out by the time the actual series hits its stride. Other familiar faces are plentiful. C C H Pounder, as pathologist Dr Loretta Wade, is now a veteran of the industry. I met her many years ago on the set of The Shield and she has the gifts of both charm and an ear for instantly being able to convincingly adopt an accent as needed. Long time tv watchers will recognise Lucas Black as and his distinctive southern accent from roles such as the young kid Caleb Temple in the cult hit American Gothic and – more recently – Sean Boswell in the cinematic Fast and Furious franchise. His sometimes impulsive Special Agent Christopher Lasalle is the wise-cracker of the team but one that provides a good counterpoint to Pride’s more steady approach. Zoe McLellan (who had appeared in a different recurring role in JAG) is Meredith Brody and as the ‘Probie’ (probational newcomer) of the team, she’s somewhat our eyes into the network of other characters, finding her place as we do.
It’s clearly a first season, sometimes relying on the template’d ‘dead petty officer’ investigations set down by previous incarnations, but still able to add some literal spice to proceedings – playing with new characters and without the weight of too much mythology it gets to try out some distinctive tone of its own, ironing out what works along the way. The second season, currently airing in the US – shuffles the cards somewhat and adds some new recurring faces and further texture. But the show retains the initial charm of its sister-shows, building as it goes without being a carbon-copy.
It might be the younger sister of the franchise so far, but it is solid addition to the NCIS universe that looks like it will continue to let the good times roll… and this six-disc DVD release, complete with extras, is a tasty platter to sample.
NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (First Season Box-Set)
Released: 8th February 2016 – Distributor: Universal Pictures (UK) – £24.99
