“NCIS” unthinkable without Mark Harmon, right?
Wrong.
Monday night “NCIS” had its first post-Harmon episode and cemented in Gary Cole as the new leader of the unit, Alden Parker. He’s younger, funnier, and more off beat.
And the audience responded. “NCIS” not only won Monday night, it beat “The Voice” and rose 10% in younger viewers.
Total viewers came to 7.6 million, same as last week. But they key demo did rise, indicating that maybe a slightly younger viewer is coming over to see Cole, who has a big following from “Veep,” “The Good Wife/Good Fight” and dozens of other outstanding performances.
The current numbers don’t compare to “NCIS” in its heyday, but everything is different now. And the show is doing its job on Mondays: winning. It’s also setting the stage for “NCIS Hawai’i,” which is holding its own at 10pm.
What would be interesting? Bringing back Pauley Perrette as Abby to mix it up with Cole. That would be a blast!
