Who is Michele Poulik? NCIS: Los Angeles airs title card tribute

NCIS: Los Angeles

Who is Michele Poulik? At the end of tonight’s NCIS: Los Angeles season 13 premiere, there was a dedication to her before the credits. This is a title card tribute, which are used in the world of TV to honor someone whose contributions to the show were invaluable prior to their unfortunate passing.

When it comes to Poulik, we are speaking about someone who was extremely important to the world of the CBS crime drama for over a decade. She was a set decorate for well over 200 episodes and made sure that every location looked true-to-life and as though Sam, Callen, and the rest of the cast would inhabit it. This is a job that never receives the sort of praise and recognition that it deserves, but we’re more than happy to see that NCIS: LA paid her proper tribute at the end of tonight. When you work together for so many years you become a family; you look out for one another through the incredibly long days and nights. We’ve heard many of the cast and crew even speak on that; they film as many as 24 episodes a season! That’s a lot of time to get to know your colleagues.

Poulik passed away over the course of the summer, following the end of season 12 and leading up to the season 13 premiere. This was the first opportunity that NCIS: LA had to honor her and they made sure to waste no time in doing so. They also made it clear in the title card that Michele’s “smile, presence, and laughter, lit up every day.” That added bit of attention made the card stand out further and give viewers that extra window into who she was as a person beyond just the work.

In addition to being a set decorator on NCIS: Los Angeles, some of Poulik’s other credits included Eli Stone, The Shield, and The Comeback. She had decades’ worth of experience in the field, and that shows just how much she was cared for and respected within the industry.

Our thoughts go out to Michele Poulik’s friends and loved ones during what must remain an incredibly difficult time for all of them. (Photo: CBS.)

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