Cheers & Jeers: CBS Bungles the Robert Wagner Case
Robert Wagner
Jeers to CBS for going full-steam-ahead with an NCIS episode that felt unintentionally — and uncomfortably — ripped from the headlines.
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Robert Wagner reprised his recurring role as Anthony DiNozzo, Sr., the devil-may-care dad who often needs his son, Tony (Michael Weatherly), to help get him out of scrapes. And the one in "Sins of the Father" was a doozy: The patriarch woke up drunk behind the wheel of a car with a dead sailor in the trunk—a guy he'd threatened to kill over a land deal gone bad.
In light of the new allegations that Wagner may have played a role in the death of his wife Natalie Wood after an alcohol-fueled argument on board a boat 30 years ago, it was impossible to ignore lines like, "I had a few drinks last night — maybe a few too many. That's all I'm guilty of," and "Do you think it's possible I killed him? I could always hold my liquor." Of course, Tony Sr. was ultimately found innocent, and police are saying Wagner is not suspected of murdering Wood. But could it really have hurt CBS to delay the episode for a few weeks — even if it meant not airing it during November sweeps — out of respect for the families involved?
Do you think CBS should've postponed last night's NCIS?
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