NCIS

We, along with most of the rest of the country, watch NCIS regularly, and I’ve noticed this season a disturbing practice of the show: the overloud background music that rides like a tsunami over every scene, no matter how insignificant or mundane. It’s so loud that often the viewer can’t follow the dialogue. I’ve begun to pay attention to other shows to see if the same applies. Most hour-long dramas use some music to overlay the scenes, but not at all to the same extent as with NCIS. We especially like Lifetime’s new series, Against the Wall, which uses a quiet, mostly violin background for some scenes, mostly the ones that end a segment for commercials. I don’t know why the producers of NCIS feel it necessary to hammer our emotions with this deluge of music. It’s a little like situation comedies that throw in a laugh track to make sure we understand when we should laugh. I don’t need it, I don’t want it. Now I’ll start looking for a series that uses no musical track. If there is one, I’ll be a faithful follower.