Timothy McGee


Timothy Farragut "Tim" McGee is a fictional character from the CBS television series NCIS, portrayed by Sean Murray. McGee specializes in cybersecurity and computer crime, and is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Murray appeared as a guest star in eight episodes of the first season of NCIS. In season two, he joined the main cast, and was added to the opening credits. In season 20, McGee became the show's lead character.

Background

McGee was born in Bethesda, Maryland, on September 13, 1978, to an Irish American family. He spent his childhood in Alameda, California, as his father was a naval officer stationed there. His parents bought him his first car, a 1984 Camaro Z28 five-speed, the day he turned 16. McGee crashed into a 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 earned a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a master of science degree in computer forensics from MIT. His college GPA was 3.9, as he failed a fencing class in his sophomore year.
McGee worked at the NCIS field office in Norfolk, Virginia, before being transferred to the headquarters in the Washington Navy Yard, a move made permanent at the end of the season-two episode "See No Evil."
McGee has a younger sister, Sarah, who is played by Troian Bellisario. Sarah attends Waverly College and intends to be a writer like her older brother. A teenage McGee is played by Charles Tyler Kinder in the season 16 episode "Once Upon a Tim".

Development

Characterization

Special Agent Timothy McGee, commonly referred to by Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo as "Probie", "McGeek", "McQueen", "McGoo", "Probie wan kenobi", "McProbie", "Baldy McBald", "McDigit", "Timmy MaGee", and even "Elf Lord", is part of a major case squad 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 frequently assisted Abby Sciuto in the forensics laboratory when necessary. As a computer expert, McGee is stereotypically portrayed as tending to speak in technical jargon, and Sciuto and he both fulfill the "scientific/technological geek as sidekick" trope common to law-enforcement procedural shows.
During the first few seasons, McGee was portrayed as timid and inexperienced. In the season-three episode "Probie", he was visibly shaken after killing his first suspect, though it was in self-defense and his teammates backed him in the subsequent investigation. When questioned about McGee's guilt, Gibbs commented that McGee "doesn't know how to lie". His character was almost entirely altered by the season-six episode "Caged", evolving into a bolder and more assertive character. Critics such as Looper's Alex G were still commenting on this personality change as late as 2022. McGee's voice also changed around this time, becoming lower and more raspy. Fans noted that this could be because of the attempt to portray his character as darker and cooler, but Murray also lost about 25 pounds between seasons, which can also cause voice changes. In 2023, Murray himself commented on the growth of the character, noting that he had spoken to the writers early in the series about incorporating such an evolution as the series progressed.
Following Gibbs' brief retirement and Tony's subsequent promotion, he becomes the senior field agent. He takes on the role very seriously, gaining Tony's respect. Tony later stops calling him "Probie" and starts calling him "Tim". He is shown to be very protective of his younger sister, Sarah, especially when she shows up after apparently committing a murder. He hides the case from his team to protect her, while simultaneously launching an investigation into the case in the episode "Twisted Sister".

Appearance

Timothy McGee has green eyes and brown hair. He was overweight until the end of season six; during the seventh season, he was shown to be losing weight. When DiNozzo pesters him about it, McGee replies that he has lost 15 pounds. McGee's weight loss led to speculation that Sean Murray, the actor who portrays McGee, was ill; in October 2010 Murray, via his Twitter account, explained that it was a deliberate weight loss by dieting, consuming only organic food, and abstaining from alcohol and sugar. Murray has lost 25 pounds.
In his initial appearances, McGee always wore a suit, dress shirt, and necktie. From season four, he stopped wearing neckties and adopted a slightly more open-collar look. From season seven, he began frequently wearing leather jackets and bomber jackets over his shirt. For the first 14 seasons, McGee had a clean-shaven appearance; during his time being held hostage in Paraguay between seasons 14 and 15, he grew a goatee, which he has kept since his return to NCIS.

Hobbies

McGee has a passion for jet packs and computers, and enjoys playing games relating to tactical warfare and covert infiltration. This is shown to be an interest shared by his sister Sarah 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 "Ignition", he discusses his fascination with jet packs, even going so far as to show Gibbs a film he has made about them. Gibbs allows McGee to take the lead in the case because of this knowledge.
McGee is also shown to be an expert tracker, being able to find a cadaver without the assistance of dogs by reading changes in the land and observing bird droppings. He revealed he was a Scout, which occupied his time while his father was deployed. He even said, "I love the outdoors", much to the chagrin of the more city-like DiNozzo. However, at least twice McGee has encountered poison ivy and suffered severe rashes.

''Deep Six'' series

In the episode "Dead Man Talking", McGee is revealed to be writing mystery/crime stories, and in the episode "Twisted Sister", it is revealed he has published a book entitled Deep Six. In the episode "Cover Story", McGee has been shown to be 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", he has penned at least two novels as part of the Deep Six series, one published and one in progress. This aspect of the character has been suggested to pay homage to novelist Clive Cussler, specifically that "Bellisario may have acknowledged the possible debt NCIS owes to Cussler by having Special Agent Timothy McGee write best-selling mystery-crime novels under the series' title, Deep Six".
The title of the first book, Deep Six: The Continuing Adventures of L.J. Tibbs suggests previous novels exist, but these have yet to be named, though the cover of McGee's first revealed book states that it is volume one. The next of McGee's books to be released, a sequel, is entitled Deep Six: Rock Hollow. Sean Murray commented, "As Thom E. Gemcity, he takes many liberties. I don't know if he knew the first book was going to be as successful as it was. But now he's got to run with it. I'm sure success has just increased his level of anxiety." In the episode "Cover Story", Rock Hollow becomes a focal point in that the NCIS team is investigating two murders, when McGee is pressured to, and reveals everything that has taken place has been part of the book he is currently writing. The story was then found to be 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 and an Armani leather jacket. He later mentions that he put the rest into a hedge fund, which crashed.
The characters in McGee's books are actually based on the characters in 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. The episode "Smoked" reveals that in his novel Deep Six, McGee portrays "Tommy" and "Lisa" as lovers, "Pimmy" as a necrophiliac, and "Tibbs" as in love with a lieutenant colonel. Unimpressed, Tony and Ziva subject McGee to relentless teasing and tormenting for the rest of the episode. Jimmy especially disliked his portrayal, and refuses to give McGee a ride back to NCIS headquarters.

Relationships

Romantic

In season one, in "Sub Rosa", McGee went out on a lunch date with Abby Sciuto.
In the season-10 finale, McGee began dating Delilah Fielding, a Department of Defense "cryptologist in a dark office". In season 11, the team meets her while investigating a case. In the season-11 episodes "Kill Chain" and "Double Back", Delilah is left badly injured in a missile attack at a black-tie event McGee and she are attending. While McGee is not seriously injured, Delilah is left permanently paralyzed due to shrapnel embedded in her spine, and she thereafter uses a wheelchair; McGee struggles to cope with the thought of her being injured. She soon recovers from the incident and continues to assist the NCIS team. In the episode "Page Not Found", McGee confides in Tony that he is planning to ask Delilah to move in with him; Delilah later reveals to Tony that she wants to take a job opening for a senior intelligence analyst, which would require her to move to Dubai for a year. Tony then separately tells the two about their other half's plans; McGee encourages her to take the job and they agree to continue their relationship, albeit long-distance. McGee also gives her a copy of his house key, which she accepts, reiterating her intent to move in with him after her assignment is over.
Delilah returns to Washington in season 12, and they resume their relationship. He proposes to her in the episode "Love Boat", which she happily accepts. They are married by Jimmy in "Something Blue" shortly after finding out that they are expecting. In "Voices", McGee learns that Delilah is having twins, a boy and a girl, and in the next episode, she gives birth to John "Johnny" McGee, named after Tim's father, and Morgan McGee, named after a former cop turned security guard who died saving Tim's life.