On Wednesday’s “Early Show,” Mark Harmon teased that the eighth season finale of “NCIS” will boast “an impressive body count.” Could this be the result of the Port-to-Port killer, whose identity will finally be revealed in the May 17 episode? Executive producer Gary Glasberg walked us through what to expect when TV’s No. 1 drama wraps, and hinted at a deeper dive into Gibbs’ personal life in Season 9.

Take us inside your approach to the finale, and what you wanted to accomplish.
On “NCIS,” there are multiple layers to assembling a finale. Not only do our finales wrap up a significant procedural story, but they tend to launch a few threads for the season that follows as well. These story tidbits can be as small as a line or two, or as significant as a well-planned character beat. Though time consuming, the process can be great fun and gives us something to dive into the moment we start writing again. In this instance, I had a lot of loose ends to wrap up. Hopefully it will deliver everything fans are looking for in a season ender.

Did anything disappoint you about this season? Anything you wish you could have done, but didn’t have the time, forethought or resources?
I feel awkward in saying this, but no. This season has been fantastic for us. Creatively, we were all very proud of the work we accomplished in season eight. We handled some delicate topics, worked with some wonderful guest actors like Robert Wagner and Bob Newhart, and — in my mind — did some of the show’s best work in years. In fact, I was so motivated by season eight it got me working on next year’s stories right away.

What should fans look forward to next season? And if you haven’t gotten that far yet…what would your dream season be?
Look for Season Nine to really bring the “NCIS” team together. We’re going to dive deeper into the personal lives of Gibbs and the others and learn things about them that, hopefully, will leave viewers desperately anxious for more. Who thought I’d ever be so excited about the ninth year of a TV show? My goal is to give people everything they’re hoping for…and then some.

What were the high points of the season?
Bob Newhart, the origin episodes with Vance and Tony, reuniting Ziva and her father, editing together eight years worth of clips for ‘Man Walks Into A Bar…”, arcing out the P2P storyline, and a continuing highpoint — working with the best cast and crew I’ve ever had the pleasure of doing business with.

Do you have a favorite episode, line, or scene from this season? If so – what?
I’m so proud of season eight as a whole, I can’t begin to narrow it down to just one.

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