I agree there are too many character threads running on NCIS right now (why is the British guy even on the show?) but I also think it suffers from inherent weakness of those characters, especially the female ones. Ziva was strong, tough, and could be sexy when flirting with Tony but the two current females come across as weak and neurotic with way too many personal issues. Ziva could be scary. Are either of these two females scary? I don't think so. In my opinion the only thing saving the show right now is the writing. It's amazing to me how, after all these years, they keep coming up with so many good scripts.