Global InformationNCIS backdoor pilot information
| "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" | |
|---|---|
| JAG episodes | |
| Episode nos. | Season 8 Episodes 20 & 21 |
| Directed by | Donald P. Bellisario ("Ice Queen") Scott Brazil ("Meltdown") |
| Written by | Donald P. Bellisario & Don McGill |
| Original air dates | April 22, 2003 ("Ice Queen") April 29, 2003 ("Meltdown") |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" is the two-part backdoor pilot for the American crime drama television series NCIS. The episodes aired as the twentieth and twenty-first episodes of the eighth season of the American legal drama television series JAG, and the 178th and the 179th episodes overall. Both episodes were written by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill. "Ice Queen" was directed by Bellisario and originally aired on CBS on April 22, 2003, while "Meltdown" was directed by Scott Brazil and originally aired one week later, on April 29, 2003.
Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Robyn Lively, Pauley Perrette, Alan Dale, Zoe McLellan, Faran Tahir, and David McCallum guest-starred in both episodes as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Anthony DiNozzo, Vivian Blackadder, Abby Sciuto, Thomas Morrow, Jennifer Coates, Amad Bin Atwa, and Donald Mallard, respectively. Harmon, Weatherly, Perrette, Dale, and McCallum all went on to play the same characters in NCIS. Alicia Coppola, who guest-starred in "Meltdown" as Faith Coleman, also reprised her role in NCIS.
"Ice Queen" follows the NCIS team, led by Special Agent Gibbs, as they investigate the murder of Lieutenant Loren Singer and ultimately arrest Commander Harmon Rabb as their prime suspect. "Meltdown" shows Rabb's trial and the continued investigation by the NCIS team to find the real culprit. The subplot for both episodes involves the NCIS also working to prevent terrorist attacks. "Ice Queen" was watched live by 13.8 million viewers, while "Meltdown" was watched by 13.6 million viewers.