'NCIS'

By Philiana Ng

On the third night of PaleyFest, CBS' hit show "NCIS," which spawned a successful Los Angeles-based spinoff last year, drew a noticeably different crowd than the first two panels.

With the average age upped by a few decades and a more controlled chaos within the theater, Monday night's event attracted CBS' primetime demographic -- and it was hard to ignore. If it could almost sell out the Saban Theatre, then clearly something must be working right?

The night opened with co-executive producer (and episode co-writer) Gary Glasberg introducing a special screening of Tuesday's hourlong, "Mother's Day," a Gibbs-centric episode. You also find out the following: (spoiler warning!) Tony and Ziva continue their love-hate banter. McGee wires everything in his apartment to one remote. Guest star Gena Rowlands returns as Gibbs' ex-mother-in-law, and she may or may not have committed a dire act. Gibbs has a flashback. Ziva's ring size is 5. Ducky hates Jimmy's new "French whorehouse" cologne. Tony is complimented by Gibbs ... twice. Gibbs gets slapped. Tony and Ziva go to Arizona. The NCIS team arrests the wrong person. Adam Kaufman ("Dawson's Creek") and Bryce Johnson ("Popular") have small roles. Whew, got all that?

The night was rich with laughter, surprising for a show that attracts parents and grandparents, and the cast and producers' good rapport was felt throughout the event. A lot was packed into the one-hour panel, so here are the highlights:

-- Moderated by "Entertainment Tonight's" Kevin Frazier, the first question dealt with whether viewers would find out more about Gibbs in future episodes. Mark Harmon, who plays team leader Jethro Gibbs, revealed that characters' backstories will come to light in pieces. But that the "Mother's Day" episode was "not something we could've done early on because no one cared," Harmon said half-jokingly.