Summary

• NCIS almost had its first female team lead years before Vanessa Lachey, showcasing evolving gender roles in the franchise.
• Jethro Gibbs is the most recognizable team lead, but recent years have seen a shift to centering women as team leaders.
• Canceled spinoffs like NCIS: Red missed out on introducing strong female leads, but NCIS: Sydney continues the trend with Michelle Mackey.

NCIS: Hawai'i team. The franchise has promoted many strong female characters throughout its varying team iterations in the main cast of NCIS, like Special Agents Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander) and Eleanor Bishop (Emily Wickersham). That said, the franchise has recently normalized centering on women as team leaders.

The most recognizable team lead of the series is Jethro Gibbs of NCIS. Mark Harmon portrayed the character for nearly two decades and served as the face of the franchise until Gibbs retired in NCIS season 19. Other influential team leaders have included Dwayne Cassius Pride (Scott Bakula) from NCIS: New Orleans and G. Callen (Chris O'Donnell) from the cast of NCIS: Los Angeles. While these characters are excellent in their own right, it's exciting to see strong female characters take the lead. NCIS nearly accomplished this feat years before NCIS: Hawai'i launched in 2021.

Special Agent in Charge Paris Summerskill Was Almost NCIS's First Female Lead

The Honor Would Have Belonged To Kim Raver Of NCIS: Red

Paris Summerskill would have been the first female lead on NCIS had NCIS: Red been picked up for its own series after its launch on NCIS: Los Angeles. That said, NCIS: Red was canceled before it ever reached production. The proposed NCIS spinoff was spawned on the Los Angeles series as a two-part backdoor pilot in season 4, episode 18, "Red," and episode 19, "Red-2." The Red Team was one of many mobile NCIS units designated by color, along with the Blue and Green teams.

The episode introduced Kim Raver as Summerskill, the Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Red Team. The cast also included John Corbett as former Special Agent Roy Haines and Scott Grimes as Special Agent Dave Flynn, the team's forensic specialist (who is cooking fish soup when G. Callen and Sam Hanna arrive at the Red Team's temporary base). The teams were based in Georgia, but Daniela Ruah's Kensi Blye described in the pilot how the teams were "never home" and how they worked, traveled, and slept together on the road.

Nina Tassler, the CBS entertainment president at the time, defended the cancelation, saying: "Protecting [the franchise] was really important."

Eventually, Scott Grimes returned to NCIS: Los Angeles as Flynn, but Raver's Special Agent in Charge didn't appear in the franchise again after the backdoor pilot. According to Digital Spy, Nina Tassler, the CBS entertainment president at the time, defended the cancelation, saying: "Protecting [the franchise] was really important." It's hard to say precisely why the NCIS: Red spinoff didn't receive the green light, but the network launched NCIS: New Orleans the following year with Scott Bakula as the team's lead.

In a moment with G. Callen, Paris Summerskill reveals some of her backstory, which comprises most of what is known about the agent. Callen teases the fellow lead about her name, prompting her to open up. Raver's character reveals that she was born in Paris (hence her name) and hails from a creative family. Her mother was a dancer, and her dad played the cello. While most NCIS agents come from military backgrounds that make them feel at home on the job, Summerskill had unique character qualities that were never adequately developed.

NCIS Hawai'i's Vanessa Lachey Became The First Female Lead For The NCIS Franchise

Vanessa Lachey Became The First Female Lead As Jane Tennant Eight Years Later

Since Summerskill's team didn't officially take off in the NCIS franchise, Vanessa Lachey became NCIS's first official female lead. The milestone happened when NCIS: Hawai'i premiered in 2021, eight years after NCIS: Red failed to launch. Lachey portrayed Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant, who helmed the NCIS: Hawai'i team. Vanessa Lachey brought depth to the character. In an interview with The Talk, Lachey revealed that her character's abandonment storyline mirrored her experience.

Jane was a decisive lead for the show and brought exciting representation to the franchise. Lachey's character balanced the duality of being a caring parent and a capable agent, a balance that few NCIS agents have brought to the small screen. Unfortunately, NCIS: Hawai'i was canceled before season 4, making it the shortest-lived NCIS series. The franchise is experiencing massive losses with its cancelation, including its first official female Special Agent in Charge.

How NCIS Continued The Trend Of Strong Female Leads With NCIS: Sydney

Michelle Mackey Became The Team Lead Of The AFP/NCIS Sydney Task Force

Fortunately, Special Agent in Charge Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann) is another strong female lead for the franchise within the NCIS: Sydney. Mackey is the Team Leader of the AFP/NCIS Sydney Task Force, established in season 1 of NCIS: Sydney. The former Marine Corps Captain was a helicopter pilot, serving several tours while assigned to the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron, which included time in Afghanistan.

Mackey ultimately ed NCIS. When the series started, she was assigned to the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan as Agent Afloat. Mackey's Marine Corps background makes her a capable leader and a skilled fighter. While she has many experiences that make her a fierce lead, Mackey keeps her tragic past a secret so she doesn't come off as too vulnerable to her team. Hopefully, Mackey will open up in Sydney season 2, since the agent's vulnerability makes her strong leadership skills all the more impressive.

NCIS's Future Looks Bright Regarding Female Leads (Despite Hawai'i's Cancelation)

Cote de Pablo's NCIS Return Will Center Her Ziva David Character

Despite the cancelation of NCIS: Hawai'i, the franchise will have exciting female leadership to look forward to aside from Special Agent Mackey. NCIS: Tony & Ziva will bring back Ziva, and she will be in one of the two leading roles in the spinoff. While not a team lead, Cote de Pablo has a track record for bringing powerful feminine representation to the franchise in the original NCIS series. In fact, when de Pablo felt that her character would cease to be a force of vital female representation, she left the show.

After departing NCIS in season 11, de Pablo returned as a special guest star in season 16 and recurred for four episodes in season 17.

While de Pablo will reprise her role as Ziva in NCIS: Tony & Ziva, she will also return to executive produce the Paramount+ limited series. Her role in the show's production includes her in the list of NCIS stars who expanded their roles beyond acting. Her work behind the scenes on the show will ensure that Ziva will continue to be the strong force of female Israeli-Jewish representation that de Pablo spearheaded in the main series.

Source: Digital Spy, The Talk