Some Thoughts as Season 12 Ends

I'm happy that NCIS:LA has been renewed and that there will be a Season 13. I'm also not sure I'll be watching it. NCIS:LA has been a favorite show of mine since season 1, and Grisha Callen will always be a favorite character. Shane created a remarkable character and choosing Chris to portray him was a stroke of genius. The other actors have all done marvelous jobs in their roles, as well, but without Callen, there would have been no NCIS:LA anymore than there would be an NCIS without Gibbs. And that's probably the reason I may not be watching season 13. I've been trying to figure out exactly why my interest in the show has waned--because I still like the characters--and I think I've finally figured out the main reason. It's not the poor writing--although that really needs to improve because the actors deserve much better. It's that Gemmill has, through his decisions and focus as showrunner, methodically squeezed the heart out of the show.

 

All the problems lead back to Gemmill. A showrunner accepts responsibility for the final product that appears on the screen. As showrunner, Gemmill is ultimately responsible for the quality of the scripts that are produced, the order in which they're filmed, establishing story arcs that make sense in their content and continuity, developing characters without sacrificing their identity, but more than that, ensuring that the elements and characteristics that make a series special and unique continue. These are the reasons I find Gemmill a failure as the showrunner.

NCIS:LA was never a "serious" crime drama show in the mold of Hill Street Blues or Law and Order: SVU. That's not to say that its stories didn't deal with serious crimes or issues of national security. But there was always a quirkiness about the show. The characters were a blend of the quiet, intense loner (Callen), the no-nonsense veteran (Sam), the professionally-focused but personally-insecure (Kensi), and the experienced odd-man-out (Deeks). And then there was their unconventional boss (Hetty). They complemented each other, and the team had a specific, informal hierarchy. At the beginning, there was no question who the team leader was; this was established and reinforced several times in conversations between Callen and Hetty. But gradually, the "hierarchy" of the team began to break down and the writers did nothing to re-establish it. A team doesn't function properly without a leader, and if the showrunner doesn't make that clear to the writers, every episode becomes "Who's in charge?" This creates a sense of confusion.

Also, the team personalities complemented one another, but as the series continued, some characters began to "develop" more while others stagnated or were sent to the sidelines (and one had his history changed in ways that made no sense to accommodate conflicting interpretations). Gemmill and a few other writers have shown an affinity for certain characters and a benign lack of interest in others, but as showrunner, this can become harmful to the show.The treatment of the characters caused additional changes within the team dynamics. This threw the balance of the team--and the series--off. 

For me, this imbalance of the team is more of a problem than the very poor writing evident in the past few seasons, and is the main reason I have become less interested in the show. There is no character on TV I find more fascinating and like more than G. Callen, but his character--especially as it has been "devolved" by Gemmill and his writers these past few seasons--is not enough to keep my interest in the show. Everyone has their different views about who is the "heart" of the show. For some it's Hetty, for others it's Densi, for me, it's Callen. Callen has been in the show since the beginning. Shane created this show to showcase his journey. He's held the team together even when Hetty hasn't been there, and as much as I like Nell, she isn't the leader Callen is and won't be without many more years of experience.

To me, Callen was the protector of the team even more than Hetty because the team was his family, so he protected them the way anyone would protect their family. For Hetty, they were her agents and she cared about them, but she didn't go on missions with them in the field, and she knew she might lose agents--she had before. Her perspective was different because of who she was and from personal experience, but to Callen, losing one of his team members, his family, was unacceptable. This isn't to say the other team members didn't care for one another, but they all had family--blood relatives they loved dearly--outside the team. Their perspective was different than Callen's. And it was that perspective of Callen's that made him, in my view, the heart of the team and the heart of the show.

It seems Gemmill sees things differently, and it's his show. His vision and direction just doesn't work for me or interest me as much anymore. This may change in season 13. It may be that Gemmill and his producers will reevaluate the direction they're taking and the changes they've made, or that I will become used to this new direction (unlikely). I don't expect to see the show I first watched in 2009. Change happens in any show that lasts this long, but change should add to the show's qualities and characteristics instead of ignoring or deviating from what has been established in earlier seasons. I'll check in when the new season begins. If I see the characters I've enjoyed for so many years, I'm sure I'll enjoy the new season. If I don't see the characters, I have the DVDs and Chris O'Donnell's portrayal of one of the most interesting and complex characters ever on a network TV show is definitely worth rewatching.