While it will make a triumphant return to the 2026 TV schedule this fall, NCIS already wrapped up its 23rd season. Yes, 24. With this in mind, it's hard to believe, the show still has two cast members who have been around since the first season. While they didn’t start out as core stars, both Sean Murray and Brian Dietzen have been some of the best NCIS characters, and some of the longest-lasting. A lot has changed since the early day, and not just with the actors and their roles. Dietzen recently recalled the procedural’s early days and was flabbergasted at the cost of shooting on literal film.
According to Shot on What?, NCIS was actually shot on 35mm film during its early years before transitioning to Digital over time. Dietzen, who had been on hand during that transition, remembered what it was like when NCIS shot on literal film. He revealed on Daniela Ruah’s episode of the Partners & Probies podcast that while he was aware of the quality of the film, he wasn’t exactly sure how much it was costing production and wanted to be extra careful of his takes:
When I started on NCIS, I was very aware of whenever they're filming, and I'm like, ‘How much money does this cost? Because that celluloid is expensive, and I can’t mess this up.’
Even though it’s cool knowing that NCIS was shot on literal film, I can see how that would be stressful for Dietzen and probably other cast members, who probably stuck with the script more and played around less in the early days. Plus, with the show just starting out at the time and struggling early on, the cast likely didn't know if one wrong misstep could have meant big changes. On top of that, it seems like there was extra stress about getting their lines right so they don’t use up so many takes.
Luckily, when it came time to start doing spinoffs and the show transitioned to Digital, the environment felt a bit more relaxed. Dietzen recalled what it was like doing NCIS: Los Angeles and how laid back things were, and not just because they were filming in sunny LA:
And then the second — I feel like, when we went Digital, which I think we were on when we did the LA spinoff, it just felt more loose ‘cause it's like, ‘Well, they're just ones and zeros. We can just erase, delete, and then we do more.’
Of course, filming more takes also costs the show money, but it must have felt like a breath of fresh air to at least have the option if needed. It's easy to recall moments when Digital technology changed our lives, but it's very rare that someone worked on a show during the Digital transformation and is still working on that show years later. Dietzen is in a very rare club.
Considering NCIS has been on for over 20 years, it is always interesting hearing about the show’s early days and how different things were back then. I’m just glad Brian Dietzen no longer has to worry about messing up and costing the show money. What a relief.
