Timothy McGee

For other people named Timothy McGee, see Timothy McGee (disambiguation).

Timothy McGee
Sean Murray as Timothy McGee
First appearance	"High Seas"
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Special Agent

Timothy "Tim" McGee is a fictional character from the CBS television series NCIS. He is portrayed by Sean Murray.

Background

McGee grew up in Bethesda, Maryland and on the Naval Base in Alameda, California, as his father was a naval officer. His parents bought him his first car the day he turned sixteen - a 1984 Camaro Z28 5-speed. However, he crashed into bus while trying to figure out how to use the windshield wipers. He got a student pass the day he got out of traction. He received a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a masters degree in Computer Forensics from MIT. He worked for a time at the NCIS field office in Norfolk, Virginia before being transferred to the headquarters in the Washington Navy Yard.

Character

Special Agent Timothy McGee, or "Probie", as he is commonly referred to by Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, is part of the investigative team led by Special Agent Gibbs. He gained his field agent status when he was transferred to Washington from Norfolk. In addition to responding to crime scenes and conducting investigations, McGee also serves as Gibbs' computer consultant and sometimes assists Abby Sciuto in the forensics lab when necessary.

Relationships

As the junior field agent of the team, McGee is often subject to ridicule from DiNozzo and Ziva David, and, to some extent, Gibbs. In one episode, when McGee was helping rewire Abby's hotbox, Gibbs walked in and called him "Special Agent Goodwrench". McGee's most notable nicknames come from DiNozzo, either "Probie," due to his junior status on the team, or "McGeek," alluding to McGee's intelligence. DiNozzo uses multiple variations on both of these names to make fun of McGee, some of which are clever but not demeaning (McGPS, McProof), some which are mocking (McLawyer,McGiggle), and some which are demeaning (McGoo, McNerd). With Ziva's departure in the episode "Aliyah", McGee is promoted to be Tony's partner in the field, and their relationship in the episode "Truth or Consequences" is shown to be much less hostile.

McGee has a younger sister named Sarah who is seen in the episodes "Red Cell" and "Twisted Sister". The two seem to differ greatly in personality, but are very close to each other, as seen in the episode "Twisted Sister."

McGee had an extended relationship with forensics technician Abby Sciuto in season one, but this ended later on. However, despite this, they are still very close and often tease each other about their previous relationship (sexual jokes, suggestive comments, etc.), and in some instances Abby has shown jealousy of attention women have given McGee.

When in stressful or uncomfortable situations, as seen in the episode "Grace Period", while trying to deal with the death of a friend, McGee will often retreat to the forensics lab for reassurance from Abby.

Hobbies

McGee has a passion for computers and enjoys playing games relating to tactical warfare and covert infiltration. This is shown to be an interest shared by his sister Sarah, as seen in the episode "Red Cell", when she takes over his live war game as he leaves his apartment. In the episode "Broken Bird," his first computer was revealed to have been a Mac SE, followed by a PowerBook, and finally a PC. He uses a Logitech Y-SAE71-SK-2930 keyboard to carry out his everyday work.

In the episode "Dead Man Talking", it is revealed that McGee writes mystery/crime stories, and in the season four episode "Twisted Sister", it is revealed he has published a book entitled "Deep Six". It became known in the episode "Cover Story" that McGee has been successful as a writer, and garnered a fanbase. It was kept a secret from the NCIS team for a long time. Under his pseudonym "Thom E. Gemcity" (an anagram of "Timothy McGee"), he has penned at least two novels as part of the Deep Six series, one published and one in progress. The title of the first book, Deep Six: The Continuing Adventures of L.J. Tibbs (whose name and character are based on Leroy Jethro Gibbs) suggests there have been previous novels, but these have yet to be named, though the cover of McGee's first revealed book states that it is volume five, suggesting four previous novels. The next of McGee's books to be released, and sequel to its predecessor is entitled Deep Six: Rock Hollow. In the episode "Cover Story", Rock Hollow becomes a focus point in that the NCIS team are investigating two murders (both committed because their killer thought they had robbed a convenience store and killed the clerk, as it was written in the book), when McGee reveals everything that has taken place has been part of the book he is currently writing. It is then discovered that the story was stolen from the typewriter ribbon McGee threw away, and that Abby could be the next victim.

McGee's writing has given him enough fame to be feted as a minor celebrity and he can enjoy perks such as VIP clubbing, as seen in the episode "Friends and Lovers". McGee has ostensibly used the profits from his writing to purchase a Porsche Boxster (seen in the episode "Twisted Sister") and an Armani leather jacket (seen in the episode "Dead Man Walking").

The characters in McGee's books are actually based on the NCIS team, with Leroy Jethro Gibbs as L.J. Tibbs, Anthony DiNozzo as Tommy, Ziva David as Lisa, Abby Sciuto as Amy Sutton, Jimmy Palmer as Pimmy Jalmer, and himself as McGregor. This displeases some of the NCIS team, and McGee is victim to constant torment from Ziva and DiNozzo for many episodes thereafter. Palmer seems especially unhappy with his portrayal, which seems to include some acts of necrophilia, and when he learned that his character Tibbs' love interest was also a Colonel, Gibbs seemed surprised and unhappy about his private life being a part of McGee's books.