NCIS creator Don Bellisario sues CBS over NCIS: Los Angeles

'NCIS' creator Don Bellisario sues CBS over 'NCIS: Los Angeles'

Source: LA Times/Company Town, April 28, 2011

The creator of "NCIS" thinks he's being ripped off by CBS. Don Bellisario, who was fired in 2007 from his job as executive producer of "NCIS," filed a suit in California Superior Court in Los Angeles arguing that the network illegally cut him out of participating creatively and financially in "NCIS: Los Angeles," a spin-off of the military crime drama that premiered in 2009.

In his suit, Bellisario says his deal with CBS, which makes and airs both "NCIS" and "NCIS: Los Angeles" gave him "first opportunity" rights to be involved in "spin-offs, sequels or remakes." CBS, the suit claimed, is "contractually obliged to compensate Bellisario for 'NCIS: Los Angeles,' including a percentage of its profits as well as a certain fixed compensation."

While no dollar figure is attached to the suit, the "NCIS" shows have been described by CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves as a billion-dollar franchise. Last year, reruns of "NCIS: Los Angeles" were sold to USA Network for more than $2 million per episode.

Anticipating that CBS may argue that "NCIS: Los Angeles" only shares part of a title with "NCIS" and it is not technically a spinoff, Bellisario's suit argues that "the concept of a 'spin-off' has extended beyond the model involving use of a fictional person to encompass other central aspects of a show that can be similarly leveraged into a new show."

Read the full lawsuit filed by Bellisario here — via Deadline Hollywood

Read the full story here: LA Times/Company Town, April 28, 2011

Photo: "NCIS: Los Angeles" actors Chris O'Donnell, left, and LL Cool J make a guest appearance in an episode of "NCIS." Credit: Cliff Lipson / CBS