TCA: ‘NCIS’ Cast Talks 200th Episode Milestone

NCIS hits a television milestone on Feb. 7 with the premiere of its 200^th episode. It is a feat that is increasingly unusual in a fragmented media universe. But series star Mark Harmon downplayed the significance of the number.

“We had a cake and there were speeches,” said Harmon. “And then we went back to work.”

PHOTOS: TCA’s Best Spoken Gems of 2012 Winter TV Press Tour

NCIS is the No. 1 scripted show on television averaging 22.4 million viewers for new episodes this season.

“From the beginning, we were a show that wasn’t good enough to get all that noticed and wasn’t bad enough to get canceled,” added Harmon, at the show’s question-and-answer session at winter press tour on Wednesday.

PHOTOS: 17 New Shows Premiering in 2012

A preview clip of the 200^th episode had Harmon’s Special Agent Gibbs having coffee in a diner before confronting a mysterious man with a gun; a shot rings out and the screen fades to black. The episode, explained executive producer Gary Glasberg “starts with a pivotal moment for Gibbs.”

It will also will revisit key moments in Gibbs’ life, continued Glasberg, and feature some “familiar faces” through nine years of the show.

“It doesn’t feel like 200 episodes,” said Harmon. “It doesn’t feel like nine years. I think everyone here would say that the writers continue to challenge us. And that it’s always been about the work. There are other things more important than the size of your trailer.”

Email: Marisa.Guthrie@thr.com

Twitter: @MarisaGuthrie