Inspired by something rihansu said, I've been thinking about this show I like. I've read a ton of fanfic about it - a team of government agents, rather maverick, rather prone to operate within their own self-imposed boundaries. They do respect their overall superior, though, who knows how and when to rein them in, and when to let them do their stuff. Because they're very good at what they do.

The team leader is a slightly older man, ex-military, very fierce, very dry wit, who has a tragic history: his wife and child were murdered. He doesn't like to talk about it, and his team will circle the wagons if any outsiders start to probe too deeply (but they don't let their leader know they're doing it). He's very protective of his team. VERY. Despite his antisocial nature, members of the team often seem to turn up at his house.

The rest are a mix of rogues, nerds, experts, crackpots... There's the Casanova who thinks he's irresistible to women (and is often right, to everyone else's annoyance). There's the rather naive computer genius (Casanova takes particular delight in annoying him). There's the one with all the arcane knowledge about everything under the sun - and boy does he like to talk, and talk, and talk about it. There's the small, fierce, odd-looking caffiene addict who just has that secret ingredient that means they're the only one not scared of the team leader - and, somehow, has become his favourite. There's the one who, against the odds, seems to actually be normal, and who can interact sensibly with people-who-aren't-in-the-team. There's the one who, from an outsider's perspective, might look like the odd one out, by dint of their very different and dangerous life prior to joining the team - but who is just as much a part of it as any of the others.

NCIS? No. Magnificent 7.

Except... not the TV series. M7 fandom is unusual in that it has one major AU in which about half the fanfic is set. It's so prevalent that I feel as if I've watched the series, in which the M7 cowboys are modern-day ATF agents. Their leader, Chris, is a former Navy SEAL. Aside from an irksome lack of women, I always thought it would have made an excellent series, and was very frustrated that it would never, ever happen...

But now I have NCIS. :)