You’re right on all counts (I did know Neil was gay. Never mind, he’s got a great voice, should go to Broadway now, do not pass GO). I’ve been revelling in the old seasons of NCIS on USA, having discovered it because I got overtired of Bones (just one channel away at TNT). The problem with both shows is part of the downside of what made them rich in the early middle: when they opened up the metanarrative to relatives, friends, etc., you start getting soapy. If you keep it tight (as Bones did with Max, for instance), then it works and only makes the show better. When you do it as a stunt (like casting Zooey as a Franklin-obsessed ninny), then it looks dumb. I think the current Mexico thread has real potential, but only if they really put people in the true amount of danger involved. ‘Rule 51’ punked out, for instance, IMHO.
NCIS: Get rid of the lawyer (ick), get back to supporting the US military. I think the writers are trying to attract the Oprah crowd, forgetting about us folks that cling to our God and guns. (By the way, our daughter classifies programs and movies by a ratio of GUNS, GUTS and GUYS).