Timothy Farragut "Tim" McGee[2][3][4][5] (/mæˈɡiː, mə-/) 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 Johns Hopkins University Murray appeared as a guest star in eight episodes of the first season of NCIS.

[10][11] 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."

In addition to responding to crime scenes and conducting investigations (along with the rest of the field team), McGee also serves as Gibbs' computer consultant [13] and frequently assisted Abby Sciuto in the forensics lab when necessary.

[11] As a computer expert, McGee is stereotypically portrayed as tending to speak in technical jargon,[14] and he and Sciuto both fulfill the "scientific/technological geek as sidekick" trope common to law enforcement procedural shows.

McGee has a passion for jet packs, 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.

[22] 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 (produced under his pen name "Thom E. Gemcity", an anagram of Timothy McGee).

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.

Under his pseudonym "Thom E. Gemcity" (an anagram of "Timothy McGee"),[24] he has penned at least two novels as part of the Deep Six series, one published and one in progress.

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".

Tibbs, Anthony DiNozzo as Tommy, Ziva David as Lisa, Abby Sciuto as Amy Sutton, Jimmy Palmer as Pimmy Jalmer, and himself as McGregor.

In the episode "Smoked", it is shown that in his novel Deep Six, McGee portrays "Tommy" and "Lisa" as lovers, "Pimmy" as a necrophiliac (a reference to Jimmy's job as Ducky's assistant in the autopsy room) and "Tibbs" as in love with a Lt. Col. (mirroring Gibbs' brief relationship with Lt Col Hollis Mann).

In the Season 10 finale, McGee began dating Delilah Fielding (Margo Harshman), a Department of Defense "cryptologist in a dark office".

In the Season 11 episodes "Kill Chain" and "Double Back", Delilah is left badly injured in a missile attack at a black-tie event she and McGee are attending.

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.

In one episode, Gibbs walked into the lab, found him lying on the floor on his back while working on the underside of Abby's hotbox, and quipped, "Special Agent Goodwrench?

DiNozzo uses multiple variations on both of these names to make fun of McGee, some of which are clever but not demeaning (McGPS, McProof, The Great McOz), some which are mocking (McLawyer, McGiggle, McGoo, McNerd, McFlowerPower), some of which seem irrelevant (McTim), and some intended to deliberately cause offense (Baldy McBald).

Initially he is intimidated by Gibbs, especially after incurring his wrath having accidentally drunk or spilled his coffee several times during his earlier seasons.

In "Probie", McGee, who was deeply shaken after killing someone (later revealed to be an undercover policeman) in self-defense, later confesses to Tony feelings of inferiority to the rest of the team as he is the only field agent on Gibbs' team to have little experience in using weapons compared to his colleagues (Tony was a cop, Gibbs was a sniper, Kate was previously in the Secret Service while Ziva was a highly skilled Mossad operative).

[30] In the Season 13 finale episode, "Family First", with DiNozzo having resigned from the team for good, McGee is promoted to Senior Field Agent and becomes the show's main character.

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.

[citation needed] In the episode "Collateral Damage" a discussion occurred between Gibbs and Director Vance about the ideal qualities an NCIS agent should possess.

[46] The role was described as "complex and layered" by executive producer Gary Glasberg, and in the late March episode "Squall", Sheridan appeared as Admiral John McGee.

Tony has described McGee's family situation as akin to the film The Great Santini – a "military brat" brought up in a strict household.

McGee's seeming inexperience in the field during early seasons was noted by critics, with Bill Keveney of USA Today describing him as "a wet-behind-the-ears computer expert" in 2005.

[48] In 2007, television historian Tim Brooks described him as "the earnest, conservative probationary agent with invaluable computer skills who was often the victim of Tony's pranks".

[50] Alyssa Rosenberg from The Washington Monthly suggested that the characters of McGee, "an MIT-educated geek who writes thinly veiled novels about the team", and Abby Sciuto appear as "liberal stand-ins" in contrast to more conservative figures on NCIS, such as Gibbs and Tony DiNozzo.

[51] None of the characters' political views are specified within the series, and Rosenberg stated that, as a result, the show does not "demand that the audience take sides in divisive issues".

Looper writer Alex G noted that many fans believe this to be an artistic decision, but Sean Murray had just lost 25 pounds and quit smoking, both of which can change a person's voice.