Whatever reason, Michaels character has taken a back seat in the show and I think there is heat between Michael and Mark because of it. I dont want to wish bad on a show I once loved but the way things are going, season 13 will be their last.

Absolutely not. You are right. They cant blame Cote for the shows demise. That is long gone. I too, think they treated Cote badly and thats why she suddenly walked. I know Michael knows what he’s doing and he will come out on top. Its just sad his character suffered because he remains good friebds with Cote. Thats just petty of them.

Well, thanks for being nice. They seem to have arranged it to where both shows would get the benefit. Hents the Tuesday night thing. lol

She recently said she wanted more time but it wasnt given to her and I dont think Glasberg was backed into a corner. I know Moonves runs the show but it didnt stop Mark Harmon from being a control hound. Thats how he is. People still sacrificed for Mark Harmons need for control and Glasbergs crappy writing.

I agree that the devaluing of Tony has been going on since Glasberg started, but I do think it has been even worse since CdP left. Maybe his friendship with her isn’t the core reason, but it seems like things have gotten even worse since she left and since MW has made it clear publicly that they keep in touch. I do suspect there are some sour grapes. I wouldn’t really care and it wouldn’t be my business, except for the fact that it seems to me that someone, or several “someones,” have allowed it to affect the quality of the show. They get paid to produce a quality product. I am expected to produce a consistent quality in my work regardless of what I think of my coworkers. Why don’t the same principles apply to actors, writers, and showrunners?

I have to be careful about the part that Harmon and Glasberg play in this. Mark Harmon has a lot of clout, it’s true, however Gary Glasberg earlier this season was talking about all of the things he was dealing with and one of the things he mentioned was “suggestions from above.” We need to remember that the suits above, Les Moonves et al, are making all of the major decisions. The decision about how many episodes they would allow for closure on Cote’s departure would have been made by the higher ups. Since Cote was not under contract, they had to negotiate how much they would pay her for any episodes in season 11. She probably got what she wanted for that one episode and only one episode. TPTB hold the purse strings. Glasberg has to deal with what he is allowed to do not necessarily what he wants to do. He is not the final authority and neither is Mark Harmon. CBS is a large and powerful company. The execs are in control.

I know you and I will disagree on this point (but nicely:), but I think they are using NCIS’s position to promote Dovekeepers. I am guessing that there will be at least one prominent commercial during this evening’s NCIS promoting Dovekeepers. It’s quite revealing to me that CBS scheduled this special for right after it’s number one drama, and show where de Pablo started her career, rather than at a more obscure time slot.

I don’t feel too bad for MW. He is still getting paid although he is doing less on the show. The reason I don’t feel too bad is that he seems like a man that is more than capable of standing up for himself and TPTB recognized that as they were afraid to tell him to take it or leave it like they did Cote. I think Cote shocked them when she chose to leave it because they just figured if they played hardball she would have no choice but to go along with what they wanted. After all who would walk away from a No.1 show? The answer is someone who realizes that there is more to life than just money. They did not want to compromise with her on what I suspect was her desire to reduce her hours on the show so she would have more time for family. They could have loaned her out to another agency or have her become injured on a case which would both mean time away from the office. After 8 years she needed a break and they refused to give it to her. Publicly they stated that they offered her all kinds of money but that is not what she wanted. She simply wanted some time off. I firmly believe that if they hadn’t negotiated with MW he would have walked away too without a backward glance. He was smart enough to get his own deal from CBS for his own productions. He can see the writing on the wall for the future of NCIS and has already made plans for his future so sure he will play the clown and laugh all the way to the bank. He knows his own worth and it is not solely based on NCIS which will one day end…sooner rather than later. Cote is doing her own thing and I admit she looks really happy with her life. The only losers in this scenario are TPTB at NCIS because they ruined a No. 1 show with their knee jerk reaction to Cote leaving. Cote has said in recent interviews that she offered to do more episodes but they didn’t want that. Apparently they just wanted her gone and refused to even mention her name all of last season I have heard people say that after Cote left so “suddenly” (she didn’t have a contract) that they had to scramble and change storylines so that is why the first few episodes where so uneven. But that was almost two years ago. The show is in decline now and they can’t blame Cote for that.

I think, just based on the unexciting writing, demotion to third tier character, and replacement by McGee as Gibbs most valued agent, that Weatherly is being punished. I’m not convinced that the reason is because he remained friends with de Pablo. It seems revealing to me that each time Harmon forced a change in show runners that Weatherly’s screen time and significance has diminished. With Glasburg he’s not even someone’s attractive purse. He’s just the humor moment and then largely insignificant. He was practically equal with Gibbs under Bellasario, still written as somewhat of a hero in either Gibbs or Ziva dramas under Brennan, and is a non entity under the current regime.

I would be all up for a Dallas moment because the last two years have been like an unbelievable nightmare. The way they dealt with Cote’s departure, the way they have demoted Tony since she left and punished Michael Weatherly because of his loyalty to his friend, putting Bishop on a damn pedestal when she does nothing for the team. It all has made for a sad and crappy show. To me, there are two different NCIS’s. The one that was the #1 show for 10 seasons and this one. This one could go off the air and I wouldn’t shed a tear. Truly pitiful.