Sometimes, when one show in a genre is doing exceptionally well, everyone wants to emulate its success. At one point, TV was full of American crime procedurals, from buddy cop duos to cyber crime teams, cold case crews, special victim units...all of the above. If you're a viewer who loves the genre, you probably felt like a kid in a candy shop watching all of those procedurals. However, if it's really not your thing, you probably said, "Another one?"

The NCIS crew knew that in order for their series to not fit into the category of "just like the others," they had to take it up a notch—which they did, in a historical way. During an interview in 2007 with McClatchy Newspapers, the cast talked about NCIS being one of the few shows to not be "obliterated" by American Idol.

According to the article, NCIS retained 95 percent to 100 percent of its audience compared to other shows on at the time.

"I don't think there are a lot of shows that can handle that kind of competition and not only survive but do well," Mark Harmon stated. The series wasn't the normal crime procedural; each character's sly comments and jokes made it hilariously too good not to watch.

"We're like the bad stepchild," Lauren Holly added. "People tell me to be quiet, just do your work and you'll be around forever, but I sort of want to stand on a rooftop, and yell, 'Check us out!' I don't know what we can do shy of ripping off our clothes and running down Sunset Boulevard with our heads on fire."

Michael Weatherly said his sister wouldn't tune in during NCIS's first two seasons until she realized they were cool. "She'd say, 'Aw, the Navy. I'm not really into the Navy.' Finally, she started watching it and said, 'You know, your show's not bad.'"