The best show on TV... NCIS

[Marty McFly]

NCIS is the best show currently on television. No ifs, buts or maybes.

The reason for the success of NCIS is that it realises unlike CSI, that people do not tune in for the endless technobabble nonsense and sudo-science that the later show subscribes too.

I have said this many times before and I will say it many times again. The key to GREAT television is characters. One of the flaws of cinema is something that continues to trouble screenwriters today and that is how do you make an audience relate and feel for a character within a 2+ hour timeframe? Television does not have that problem. In fact television provides us with hundreds of hours to relate, feel, get to know and UNDERSTAND the characters. This is what NCIS realises. This is what NCIS does well. The characters are well written, well acted and are great to watch.

NCIS puts its characters first. Before its sudo-science and technobabble. Before its 'sexy montages' (I'm looking at you CSI franchise). And yes, characters are even put before its plot and there's nothing wrong with that. Why? Because we love these characters. We relate. We feel. We understand.

NCIS is the best show currently on television. No doubt.

[Padme Skywalker]

I started watching CSI a few seasons in and thought it was fantastic then I saw a advert for NCIS and thought I would give that a go and it quickly became my favorite TV show overtaking CSI and all its sequels. The thing with NCIS that I love is its character development, when something bad happens to a character you feel for that character, unlike in CSI where when something has happened to one of the main characters you don't really feel for them.

Season 5 is starting up on Channel 5 next Friday night at 9pm, I have already seen some of this season in FX and it is not to be missed, there is going to be a lot of further character development. I am currently waiting for season 6 to start but I will be rewatching Season 5 as I can't get enough of everyone!

I will report back in a few days time with a whos who in the current NCIS team.

[Marty McFly]

Can't wait for the season five premiere Padme.

[Padme Skywalker]

As promised here is the who's who guide for the current NCIS Team, some information is in spoiler tags as it is from later seasons:

Mark Harmon Special ... Jethro Gibbs (Special Agent In Charge // Major Case Response Team Supervisor)

Supervisory Special Agent, NCIS He was born in Stillwater, Pennsylvania, and was the child of Jackson Gibbs and an unnamed mother. He joined the United States Marine Corps instead of attending college and became a Scout Sniper. Served tours of duty in Panama and Iraq, retiring from the Marines with the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. He joined NCIS after his wife Shannon and daughter Kelly were killed. Since then, he has married three more times, but divorced each time. He currently leads a team consisting of Anthony DiNozzo, Timothy McGee, and Ziva David. He is sometimes shown in his basement building a boat, which he named after his daughter.

Michael Weatherly ... Anthony DiNozzo (Special Agent // Major Case Response Team Senior Field Agent)

Senior Special Agent, NCIS Tony DiNozzo is a former homicide detective for the Baltimore Police Department. The character is played as a "technophobe" with limited patience for the scientific method and technical terms. Attended Ohio State University and was "Alpha Chi Delta '89". DiNozzo is also the resident movie buff of the NCIS team, forever referencing movies which fit in perfectly with the current situation.

Sean Murray ... Timothy McGee (Special Agent // Major Case Response Team Junior Field Agent)

Junior Special Agent, NCIS. The character was introduced in the First Season episode "Sub Rosa" as a Case Agent stationed at Norfolk. In the Second Season was promoted to Field Agent and assigned to Agent Gibbs' team, becoming a regular character in the series. He serves as a field computer consultant and occasionally assists Abby Sciuto in the lab.

His clashes with DiNozzo over his methods has earned him the pejorative nickname McGeek along with another nickname "Probie". He was trained in biomedical engineering and computer forensics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Cote de Pablo ... Ziva David (Mossad Liaison Officer)

Mossad Liaison Officer, NCIS Officer Ziva David is a Mossad agent sent to NCIS following

Spoiler: show

the murder of Special Agent Caitlin Todd by a rogue Mossad operative named Ari Haswari. David was Ari's control officer and half-sister. After Ari's death

, she asked to be assigned as a liaison for Mossad at NCIS, where she subsequently joined Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' team.

De Pablo describes the character as someone who is "completely different from anyone else on the show" and that because "she's been around men all her life; she's used to men in authority. She's not afraid of men."

Pauley Perrette ... Abigail "Abby" Sciuto (Forensic Specialist)

Forensic Specialist, NCIS. Known for her gothic style of dress and addiction to the fictional, high-caffeine beverage "Caf-Pow". She is the most active person of the team, often hugging everyone and talking fast. She is one of the few who can talk to Gibbs freely, and he often buys her CafPow. She and Gibbs can both speak sign language and often use it to mess with their colleagues. Abby learned sign language because her parents were deaf. This was indicated in Season 1, Episode 3 when Abby told Gibbs, "You've still got the touch." She has a stuffed farting hippo named Bert that often appears in the show.

David McCallum ... Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard (Chief Medical Examiner)

Chief Medical Examiner, NCIS. Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, M.D., M.E. is a British (Scottish)-born chief medical examiner, who has been long-time friends with Gibbs. He has a 'second talent,' as Gibbs calls it, to be able to read people. He can be a bit eccentric, as he often talks to his victims, but is a kind man at heart.

Ducky drives a Morgan that he restored himself.

Brian Dietzen ... Jimmy Palmer (Assistant Medical Examiner)

Spoiler: show

After Gerald was incapacitated

, Palmer became Mallard's medical assistant both in the field and in the morgue. He self-identifies as a sufferer of a "mild" case of diabetes mellitus in the Season 4 episode "In The Dark".

Lauren Holly ... Jenny Shepard (NCIS Director

Spoiler: show

She replaced former NCIS director Thomas Morrow, at the start of the third season after Morrow took a Deputy Director's position with the Department of Homeland Security

. She was Gibb's former partner and also his former lover.

[Marty McFly]

Great work Padme!

DiNozzo is my favourite character.

[Padme Skywalker]

DiNozzo is a good character and he reminds me a lot of yourself Marty, but personally my favourite is Abby, she is such a great character, fun and mad you gotto love her!

[Marty McFly]

Thanks Padme!

[Phoebe]

She has a stuffed farting hippo named Bert that often appears in the show.

Certainly sounds like great television you guys.

It's not a show that I have watched as it has never really jumped out at me as something to tune into and as there are so many CSI's, I get confused and thought I would never understand what was happening if I just randomly started watching one of the shows. It's also on Five, which is a channel that I pretty much never watch so I don't get to see it advertised or know when it's on!

[Marty McFly]

It's a superb show Phoebe. The fact is that Five bought it when it was a *new* show, same with the CSIs, then they take off and then have gold in there hands. There have been rumours that BBC, ITV and CH4 where all foaming at the mouth at one time or another to get there hands on these TV franchises but there is no way that Five will let these shows go, they are there bread and butter. I kind-of like Five having them anyway, since they do less reality TV garbage so the shows are less likely to be pushed around there schedules. NCIS is also one of the biggest shows in America right now:

“It’s just a fascinating thing what’s happened with NCIS up against American Idol,” Perrette agrees. “They have these huge numbers and it hasn’t really affected us at all. Last week, I think, American Idol had like the first three slots [in the Nielsen ratings] and we were number six. No other show that was in the top was up against [AI]. We went dead head against them. Just even the numbers game is fascinating. I think with NCIS, in the beginning people didn’t really know what it was. They were like military something with an ‘N.’ Then when people check it out, they are like, wait a minute, what was that? That’s funny. Then they have to go check it out again. What was that crazy show I just watched? And then you’re hooked. Once people get hooked on this show, they just don’t leave.”

Source: http://www.popentertainment.com/perrette.htm

CBS would like you to know that despite all the media hoopla surrounding shows like “Heroes,” “Lost” and “24,” in the last week of sweeps when shows were presenting their season finales, its own series, “NCIS,” averaged more viewers than any of them – 14.14 million, to be precise. By contrast, “Lost” had 13.86m, “Heroes,” 13.48m, and “24,” 10.31m.

Of course, “NCIS’s” audience skewed a little older than the demographic most sought after by advertisers, and those other shows no doubt all lured more viewers aged 18-49. On the other hand, none of those other shows had to go up against “American Idol’s” final night of competition, either. (Though, to be fair, “Lost” may have arguably had a tougher task – the first 75 minutes of its two-hour finale aired opposite the announcement of the new “American Idol.”) “NCIS” ranked No. 5, among all primetime programs (“House,” the top-rated scripted series on the season, ended its run the previous week), behind only the competition and results finales of “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars.”

Source: http://www.insidesocal.com/tv/2007/05/n ... shows.html

As you can see NCIS has a growing, strong fan base that even show like Lost, 24 and even Phoebes beloved Desperate Housewives can't compete against!

I found a website that listed the weekly Nielsen viewing figures in American, here are the top five shows that made the list:

1.) CSI
2.) NCIS
3.) Dancing with the Stars
4.) Desperate Housewives
5.) The Mentalist

Linkage: http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/10/21/cs ... ewing/6580

Now, NCIS is number two. Keep in mind that out of ALL those shows listed there, NCIS is the only one to go up against American Idol. Long live NCIS!

[Marty McFly]

[Phoebe]

No doubt it's a good programme and im sure many people follow these types of shows. It's fine coming up with these viewing figures but is it fairing as popular in the UK up against other shows, the likes of Desperate Housewives?

I found this...

In this weeks Sunday Times TV Supplement has figures for the Top 10 TV programmes in millions for the week ending Jun 11. NCIS come in at number 10 for all Channel Five programmes with 1.24 Million. This is the list:

1 CSI 3.29
2 CSI Miami 2.66
3 CSI NY 2.62
4 House 2.19
5 Prison Break 2.17
6 Law and Order 1.90
7 Home and Away 1.84
8 Conspiracy Theory 1.51
9 Grey's Anatonmy 1.40
10 NCIS 1.24

As a comparison, here are the figures for BBC 1:

1. England v Paraguay Football 12.00
2. Eastenders 9.29
3. New Tricks 7.67
4. Casualty 6.51
5. Doctor Who 6.08
6. Germany v Costa Rica Football 5.65
7. Holby City 5.52
8. National Lottery 5.28
9. News at 10 5.00
10. Mexico v Iran Football 4.46

Compared to the BBC1 listings that week, all 10 of their shows have more viewing figures than NCIS and therefore prove more popular with audiences, it is also bottom of the list within the top 10 on five, even below the likes of Home and Away!

I haven't said that NCIS is a bad show, im not one to judge something I haven't seen (maybe you should try that out yourself with the likes of Desperate Housewives ) but it's not fair to pull those viewing figures out and have a dig at other programmes to say that it is currently the best television show on our screens which is only your opinion. I don't hear much about it over here.

[Padme Skywalker]

I don't really think in the UK it is fair to look at viewing rates as much as America due to channel 5 not being popular with most english people so they purposely avoid it, they think it is full of stupid soaps or silly programmes, and in turn miss out on a lot of great shows, Channel 5 has not only all the CSI's and NCIS it also has House, Grey's Antomy, Law and Orders and Numb3rs to name but a few. I think the thing with Channel 5 is that they take these little new shows which the other channels turn they nose up at and as a result channel 5 is actually pretty hard to beat in terms of great TV. To be honest these days it is really the only channel I watch (on analog TV) as I'm not a fan of reality TV (the only one I watch is X Factor and even then I don't mind missing it) and i'm not fussed on soaps or the other shows currently showing, NCIS is one of the only shows that has hooked me and and kept me. Lets all be honest about this too, if NCIS was on BBC, ITV or Channel 4 I think you would see a differnce in the viewing figures.

Another reason why NCIS isn't as big over here could be a lot of people might not get it, it isn't just a new version of CSI or other cop shows, it is the perfect blend of them. One of the things I love is that you really have to follow the storyline, for example a story started in the very first season that continued right into season 3, how many other shows really do that these days (apart from the obvious LOST of cause), but saying that you can still miss some and be able to follow what is happening to a point, as long as you pay attention! There is then the whole you start to love the characters, you worry about them, you start to know when things are wrong, you cry with them, they kinda become like family... It is a show that has only gotten better with age.

My dad was speaking to my aunt in the states the other week saying how he got the first 3 seasons of NCIS for Christmas and my aunt was saying how amazing the show was, it is extremely popular over there, popular enough to go against AI and hold its own, popular enough for it to scare the other shows off, House is even moving times as it does not want to go against NCIS, popular enough that the week before christmas it had a viewing rating of 19.86 million, that also makes it the best (or most popular) show currently on TV, in america anyhow

[Phoebe]

Sure it can be said that it isn't fair to look at the viewing figures in the UK but I also didn't think it was fair to only look at the viewing figures in the US and then use it to say that NCIS beats other programmes such as Desperate Housewives overall, when it isn't the case in other countries. It still remains that it isn't the best (or most popular) show in the UK and elsewhere. I'm not saying NCIS is a bad show, im sure if I gave it a shot that I could get interested in it but you can't base everything on US viewing figures against other television shows. Desperate Housewives has ongoing storylines and great characters.

If it's your favourite programme, that's fair enough, as your opinion alone.

[Padme Skywalker]

Sure it can be said that it isn't fair to look at the viewing figures in the UK but I also didn't think it was fair to only look at the viewing figures in the US and then use it to say that NCIS beats other programmes such as Desperate Housewives overall, when it isn't the case in other countries. It still remains that it isn't the best (or most popular) show in the UK and elsewhere. I'm not saying NCIS is a bad show, im sure if I gave it a shot that I could get interested in it but you can't base everything on US viewing figures against other television shows. Desperate Housewives has ongoing storylines and great characters.

If it's your favourite programme, that's fair enough, as your opinion alone.

At the moment we can only look at the US figures as the show is not due to restart in the UK until Friday, (the original figures were from June 08). Once it has started over here again, then we can discuss the UK viewings and yes, we will see it is not as popular over here, as I mentioned in my post before, it is well documented that in europe it is not as popular.

Ok, with regards to the ratings lets make it more stricter and stick to the time slot and period that the results were for, then no one is implying it is beating all other programs, just the ones it is actually going up against, (again US only due to UK figures being unavailable at the moment in time). According to the current viewing figures when NCIS is on in america it is the most popular show for that time slot. That in turn means it was/is one of the most popular shows currently on the air in one country for that period.

I have never meant to imply NCIS was beating all other shows in all countries, I have only stated the facts that are currently true for one country where a new series is airing, and unfortunately have been unable to use any european facts due to the new series not being aired as of yet.

Everyone has different tastes and different reactions to shows. I personally do not like Desperate Housewives, where as you really like it, but you might not like NCIS, if you gave it a go, which is one of my favorite TV shows.

Anyhow, lets move on to talking about the show itself. Does anyone else have any other favorite characters? What have been some of your favourite episodes so far? Did anyone else catch the Season 6 exclusive sneak peak on FX last September?

[Phoebe]

At the moment we can only look at the US figures as the show is not due to restart in the UK until Friday, (the original figures were from June 08). Once it has started over here again, then we can discuss the UK viewings and yes, we will see it is not as popular over here, as I mentioned in my post before, it is well documented that in europe it is not as popular.

All that I was saying that is if you are allowed to use US viewing figures to back up your comments and use it against other shows (which was done in the OP about this) then I am able to come back with the UK viewing figures and say how is isn't as popular as other shows here. It works both ways. And we will see how the viewing figures turn out for when it starts up again on Friday, that would be fair.

Everyone has different tastes and different reactions to shows. I personally do not like Desperate Housewives, where as you really like it, but you might not like NCIS, if you gave it a go, which is one of my favorite TV shows.

Yes. That has been my point all along, that I am not claiming that NCIS is a bad show, it's just not one that I have yet watched - I may or may not like it. And people do have different tastes so it isn't fair to say this show is better than another (eg. Desperate Housewives) on that basis and back it up with US viewing figures. As then, I am able to say make a similar claim based on UK viewing figures.

Anyhow, lets move on to talking about the show itself. Does anyone else have any other favorite characters? What have been some of your favourite episodes so far? Did anyone else catch the Season 6 exclusive sneak peak on FX last September?

I will leave you all to talk NCIS now!

[Marty McFly]

Phoebe the reason why we use the American Nielsen system numbers is because that is the country of origin for the shows in question (in this case NCIS and Desperate Housewives). Bringing in the British viewing figures to discuss American TV shows is like arguing Star Wars was a flop because it was not a hit in China.

[Phoebe]

Phoebe the reason why we use the American Nielsen system numbers is because that is the country of origin for the shows in question (in this case NCIS and Desperate Housewives).

That makes sense and I didn't realise that. Although, I will still always support my Desperate Housewives and if I can defend it, I will and I did. I wouldn't base a shows popularity or make a claim that it is "the best" on US viewing figures alone. It doesn't prove anything as it isn't that successful here! You can't say that because NCIS has higher viewing figures than Desperate Housewives in the US that it is better, it just means in that week it was more popular in that country. It could be different by the next week though, NCIS could be off the list and Desperate Housewives top!

I don't know much about NCIS but who knows if that wasn't a week where it was the beginning or end of a new season, of course more viewers often tune in for such episodes.

[Marty McFly]

You can't say that because NCIS has higher viewing figures than Desperate Housewives in the US that it is better, it just means in that week it was more popular in that country. It could be different by the next week though, NCIS could be off the list and Desperate Housewives top!

That's not how the Nielsen figures work. Much of the Nielsen Ratings consist of what is called "sweeps". They usually look a single time slot, prime time for example and they usually look at this over the course of a month, at the end of the month the calculate each of the viewing figures in that particular time slot. They do this many times over the gather the information used for the Nielsen Ratings. It's not a perfect system but I think it's the best measurement of television ratings in the world.

Your over defensiveness of Desperate Housewives is quite understandable as your an unwavering zealot of that particular soap.

I wouldn't base a shows popularity or make a claim that it is "the best" on US viewing figures alone. It doesn't prove anything as it isn't that successful here!

I take offense at this Phoebe. Please point out where I said that NCIS was "the best" (you even put the words in quotation marks to infer that they referenced a part of my post) because it has higher ratings than Desperate Housewives? I have made TWO separate points in my posts in this thread so far: 1.) I love NCIS as a television programme 2.) It has become a very popular program in America and is the ONLY show to go up against American Idol in the battle for ratings.

[Marty McFly]

Time for a change of pace. I'd hate to see the thread for one of my favourite shows become a battleground due to some rather unnecessary thread crapping.

I thought I'd lighten the mood with some article that have been in the press recently regarding NCIS. Enjoy:

Why did it take me so long to give NCIS a chance? I've loved Mark Harmon since I was 12 years old. It must've been the time slot or the fact that it's a quasi spin-off of JAG, which my mother was obsessed with back before I knew that she actually does have good taste in TV.... Anyway, I have been watching the ratings recently, and when the CBS drama set an all-time series high in this, its sixth season, for a second time, I decided it was time to tune in. A Saturday marathon on USA, combined with the need for three doses of DayQuil, was the perfect opportunity for me to do that -- for 13 hours.

The episodes I caught were from the second half of Season 4, when, SPOILER ALERT, the then NCIS director (Lauren Holly) was consumed with capturing the elusive arms dealer La Grenouille (guest star Armand Assante), who she believed killer her father; special agent Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), a notorious playboy, fell in love with a doctor, who, it turns out, he was dating undercover because she was the daughter of La Grenouille; special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Harmon) dealt with commitment issues of his own after becoming intimate with his female counterpart in the Army's criminal investigation division; Mossad Liaison Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) found her soulmate in a Navy Lieutenant dying of radiation poisoning; and special agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), a.k.a. McGeek, sorta confessed his feelings for forensic specialist Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) while saving her from a delusional fan of the crime novels he pens under the anagram Thom E. Gemcity.

I had no idea NCIS had this much character drama in it. Nor did I expect it to have as much humor and sweetness: Gibbs appears to enjoy hitting DiNozzo on the back of the head almost as much as he loves kissing Abby on the cheek (pictured). (I say that is just fatherly appreciation for a job well done on those computers that she's been known to talk to, but my mother thinks that Gibbs and Abby might someday get it on -- discuss!).

While I play catch up and program my DVR to record all episodes of NCIS (Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS; weekdays from 5 to 8 p.m. on USA), tell me if you're a fan, a deserter, or someone who's yet to enlist.

Source: http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/12 ... harmo.html

NCIS may be six years old, but it's got the legs of a spring chicken, dag-gonnit. While most shows taper off in their golden years (yes, six years is practically ancient in this business), NCIS is enjoying its best season by far, as evidenced by its series-high 19.86 million viewers last night.

But NCIS wasn't alone. Newbie The Mentalist also enjoyed its best numbers yet, grabbing 19.33 million sets of eyeballs, according to Variety. The dynamic duo helped CBS to its best Tuesday night since 1995.

However, in the key 18-49 adults demo, CBS merely tied with NBC. The Peacock was paced with a fat night from The Biggest Loser's finale, which scored a 4.5 rating/12 share--the plumpest for NBC in three years.

Source: http://www.tv.com/story/12024.html

Here's a winning strategy: make a procedural cop show, give it an acronym title, and brand the heck out of it! That certainly worked for CBS' CSI, and the network is thinking about doing the same thing to NCIS.

According to EW.com, CBS is "quietly" working on a spin-off of NCIS with the hopes that there is still room for yet another crime procedural on the network. Why NCIS? The show, currently in its sixth season, has been kicking some serious tail in the ratings department this year, recently pulling in more than 18 million viewers.

According to a chatty source, NCIS will add some more Navy internal-affairs-type people to an upcoming episode, and then set them off to start their own show, possibly next fall. Everything else dealing with the show is still up in the air.

CBS was previously reported to be developing a spin-off of Criminal Minds, but no further news has come to light about that possible move.

Source: http://www.tv.com/story/11945.html

[Phoebe]

That's not how the Nielsen figures work. Much of the Nielsen Ratings consist of what is called "sweeps". They usually look a single time slot, prime time for example and they usually look at this over the course of a month, at the end of the month the calculate each of the viewing figures in that particular time slot.

I see, well I jumped to a conclusion there as I saw this above the chart "Nielsen Top Twenty Shows by viewers for the week ending 10/19/08" - so I presumed that it was based on a week. But I correct what I said previously to that particular month then but still stand by what I said that the month prior to this, Desperate Housewives could have been number one and NCIS might not have made the list.

I wouldn't base a shows popularity or make a claim that it is "the best" on US viewing figures alone. It doesn't prove anything as it isn't that successful here!

I take offense at this Phoebe. Please point out where I said that NCIS was "the best" (you even put the words in quotation marks to infer that they referenced a part of my post) because it has higher ratings than Desperate Housewives? I have made TWO separate points in my posts in this thread so far: 1.) I love NCIS as a television programme 2.) It has become a very popular program in America and is the ONLY show to go up against American Idol in the battle for ratings.

I'm sorry if you have taken offense to that comment but I was simply referring to the topic title where you state that it is the best and then said that the show beats Desperate Housewives based on US viewing figures. If they are not meant to be linked and you didn't mean to be trying to prove that NCIS is "the best" (as stated in topic title) with your positive comments about it and viewing figures then I apologise. It was just a misunderstanding of the point you were making.

Time for a change of pace. I'd hate to see the thread for one of my favourite shows become a battleground due to some rather unnecessary thread crapping.

Me neither. Fire away.

[Marty McFly]

I'm sorry if you have taken offense to that comment but I was simply referring to the topic title where you state that it is the best and then said that the show beats Desperate Housewives based on US viewing figures. If they are not meant to be linked and you didn't mean to be trying to prove that NCIS is "the best" (as stated in topic title) with your positive comments about it and viewing figures then I apologise. It was just a misunderstanding of the point you were making.

Apology accepted!

You seem to have completely missed the point of us discussing these Nielson numbers Phoebe. Like all the major news outlets are reporting, it is incredible that this small CBS programme is going against all of the big guns such as: LOST, Desperate Housewives, Heroes and American Idol - and it is actually coming away with HUGE numbers. That's an incredible feat since NCIS is a relatively small show. The question you HAVE to ask is why is NCIS getting these mega numbers? You therefore have to draw a logical correlation between the shows immense popularity and the quality of the show itself.

In short, everyone EXPECTS Desperate Housewives and the like to get great numbers since there the billion dollar franchises owned by the major networks in America. A small CBS crime drama called 'NCIS' however is going up against these juggernauts and winning! No matter which way you look at it, that is remarkable.

[Marty McFly]

I cannot freakin' wait until this Friday! Favourite programme on television.

[Marty McFly]

[Marty McFly]

[Batman]

the videos make me want to watch it seems like something i would enjoy what time and channel is it on, on friday.