Don Bellisario was a TV legend before he created one of the the most-watched TV dramas in America. Before putting the Naval Criminal Investigative Service on screen, Bellisario saw the reality of Navy life. From 1955 to 1959 he served in the Marine Corps, which is of course a distinct branch of the military (but its members often work closely with the Navy).
That military experience helped with his first big hit show. Running from 1980 to 1988, Magnum P.I. starred Tom Selleck as an easygoing private investigator and Vietnam veteran in Hawaii. Aside from launching a trend for bushy mustaches and Aloha shirts, the show was credited for going against the trend of portraying Vietnam veterans as unhinged violent criminals, instead showing characters who had readjusted to civilian life.
Bellisario brought this desire to present a different side of a popular trope to NCIS. In 2007, Pauley Perrette said, "he wanted to take an alternative-style person with tattoos and make her someone who is happy, totally put together and successful." That's why the actress's tattoos were seen as a selling point: "Not only do they love my tattoos, but they give me more," she added.
Unfortunately, Bellisario's experience at NCIS turned out not to be so happy. The creator left the series in 2007 over a dispute with star Mark Harmon.
