Mark Harmon’s Shocking Return to NCIS: ORIGINS—You Won’t Believe What He’s Doing Now!

Mark Harmon is set to return to the NCIS universe in the upcoming spinoff series, NCIS: ORIGINS. This new series serves as a prequel to the long-running drama, focusing on the early days of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and shedding light on his backstory.

“NCIS: ORIGINS is really different from any of the other NCIS series; it makes me feel so old to say it’s a period piece when it’s set in the ‘90s, kill me now, right?” joked CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach. She added, “It’s a little edgier and grittier than previous NCIS shows, with a serialized element that we’re really excited about. While NCIS: SYDNEY has its own distinct identity, uniquely Australian in its storytelling, I feel like both shows offer opportunities to attract new audiences while remaining true to the DNA and loyal fan base of the franchise.”

According to a synopsis shared by Screenrant, NCIS: ORIGINS takes place in the 1990s and follows a young Leroy Gibbs at the beginning of his career. The series will explore Gibbs’ journey to becoming the top investigator he is known for in the original NCIS, as well as his relationships with past partners and colleagues.

Mark Harmon and his son, Sean Harmon, are both involved in the series. NCIS writers and producers David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal will also be instrumental in bringing these new stories to life.

The spinoff will delve into Gibbs’ early years, along with the stories of other notable characters, such as Mike Franks and Special Agent Vera Strickland. “Narrated by Mark Harmon, NCIS: ORIGINS begins in 1991, years before the events of NCIS. In the new series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office, where he carves out his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks,” Deadline reported. (Mike Franks, played by Muse Watson, was a recurring character on NCIS until his death in Season 8, though he continued to appear to Gibbs as a guiding figure in later seasons.)

The idea for exploring Gibbs’ early years originated with Sean Harmon, who portrayed a young Gibbs in several episodes of NCIS from 2008 to 2020. Along with his father, Mark Harmon, Sean approached Monreal, North, and CBS Studios about expanding the NCIS universe with a Gibbs-centered spinoff.

“The character of Gibbs has been an important part of my life for 20 years, both in watching my father craft the role and previously having the honor to play young Gibbs myself,” Sean Harmon shared. “I always felt there was a tale worth telling about his earlier years, so I am thrilled to be stepping into a producing role alongside Gina, David, and my dad as we tell this story and reveal a new side of this beloved character.”