To celebrate Sean Murray’s birthday, NCIS releases a set image of Tim McGee all bloodied and injured. Currently, there are no more original ensemble members in NCIS’ official cast. Murray is the longest-serving player in the series, debuting in season 1. He has been playing McGee for such a long time, that it’s easy to forget that he wasn’t part of Gibbs’ inaugural MCRT squad. Regardless, Murray is arguably the most important piece in the procedural’s run, essentially taking over Mark Harmon’s spot as its poster boy.
In celebration of Murray’s birthday, long-time NCIS franchise producer David J. North has shared a behind-the-scenes image of the actor’s during one of McGee’s most vulnerable moments. In the image, the MCRT Senior Agent is being wheeled out to an ambulance as he nurses gunshot wounds. The photo was taken during the filming of Gibbs’ infamous sniper shot on McGee in NCIS season 18. Check out the image below:
Coincidentally, Murray’s birthday takes place days before NCIS season 23’s very first McGee-focused episode. In “Page-Turner,” his long-time author alias, Thom E. Gemcity, returns for a Deep Six-focused outing. Based on the official synopsis for NCIS season 23, episode 6, MCRT’s Senior Agent is kidnapped by a mysterious person while he’s in the middle of promoting his latest novel. The trailer for the outing teases a more creative offering from NCIS, as it shows Gemcity’s characters coming to life.
It’s no secret that NCIS season 22 was a disappointing year in general for the show, but it was particularly a let-down for McGee. While the CBS procedural attempted to give him a substantial personal storyline by having him apply for a promotion and then get into a rivalry with Gabriel LaRoche, nothing really came out of it. By season 23, he’s still in the same position that he has been for years. It’s curious if NCIS is planning on revisiting that narrative moving forward, but for now, it isn’t happening anytime soon.
Ultimately, there’s no denying that McGee needs a meatier storyline for himself. The return of Gemcity is a good start, but there needs to be something that is related to his work in the agency rather than something outside of it. It’s one aspect of his story that has been stagnant for a while in NCIS.
