“16-Year Mystery Unveiled: Explosive Details on NCIS Creator’s Long-Held Feud with Mark Harmon – You Won’t Believe What’s Finally Being Revealed!”

NCIS co-creator Donald P. Bellisario’s reported feud with Mark Harmon has been revisited, 16 years after the creator’s departure from the show.

Sixteen years after co-creator Donald P. Bellisario left NCIS, various creators, producers, and the director discussed the conflict that led to his exit. NCIS, which premiered in 2003, is a police procedural series focused on the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It began as a JAG spin-off and eventually spawned its own successful spin-offs in the form of NCIS: Los Angeles, New Orleans, Hawai’i, and the upcoming Sydney series. For the first 19 seasons, Mark Harmon portrayed Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

As fans await NCIS season 21, several longtime creatives shared their insights with The Hollywood Reporter about the show’s extensive history. Executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson, co-creator Donald P. Bellisario, co-creator Don McGill, executive producer Horowitz, director James Whitmore Jr., and casting director Susan Bluestein all weighed in on the conflict between Bellisario and Harmon, which ultimately led to Bellisario’s departure from the series. Here are some of their statements:

JOHNSON (executive producer): Over time, actors started wondering if they’d receive two acts or just one, causing confusion about their character arcs. They struggled to remember their lines. Initially, the show was quite complex. By the fourth season, Harmon had decided it was too challenging. He never explicitly said, “Get rid of Don,” but he did say, “This is too difficult to work this way.” Eventually, the network approached Bellisario, suggesting that he step back a bit in terms of his involvement in the show. So, by the fifth season, Bellisario was no longer part of it.

BELLISARIO (co-creator): It was just the right time for me to move on and pursue other interests. I had my fill of the show, so I stepped away. It was entirely my decision.

JOHNSON (executive producer): I found myself in the middle of it. I managed to walk a fine line, working with both Harmon and Don. It wasn’t easy, but I did my best. When things went off track, I felt like the one responsible for getting it back on course and keeping everyone together. However, I have great respect for Don. There would be no NCIS without him. Bellisario and Harmon were the two most crucial figures in getting the show off the ground and maintaining its success.

WHITMORE JR. (director): Mark Harmon is a consummate professional who is dedicated to his work. He’s incredibly creative, works tirelessly, supports his fellow actors, and expects everyone to be as prepared as he is. He doesn’t play games.

MCGILL (co-creator): All I know is what I read in the trades. (Laughs.) I know Mark was unhappy, and his relationship with Don became strained. Because I wasn’t present, I don’t know much about what happened behind the scenes. It’s just one of those things that occurs in Hollywood, the classic creative differences.

BLUESTEIN (casting director): I’ve always had a soft spot for Don because he was so generous to me. Don was always very kind to me.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER HOROWITZ: He was undeniably the leader, the show’s creator. I think there was always a question in people’s minds: How would things proceed?

JOHNSON (executive producer): It was challenging for all of us to accept because he had always been so intimately involved in every aspect of the show, shaping many of the character dynamics. I served as the showrunner for a time, alongside Shane Brennan, even though I wasn’t a traditional writer. Eventually, we hired a couple of writers to oversee the creative direction of the show. Fortunately, my long-standing relationships with the cast and crew allowed me to remain a valuable producer. It must have worked because I’m still here. (Laughs.)

Gibbs has been a central character and the linchpin of the show since its inception. That’s why his departure in Season 19 placed the series in such jeopardy. Harmon left NCIS early in Season 19 to give the show a chance to prove that it could still attract viewers without him. It was a gesture that highlighted his commitment to the series.

While Bellisario and Harmon may have had a significant feud, they both played pivotal roles in shaping the show into what it is today. Harmon’s acceptance of the Gibbs role surprised the producers and marked the beginning of his substantial and influential tenure. Harmon dedicated his career to portraying the same character for the next 19 seasons. However, during Season 4, it seemed that Harmon might leave NCIS, but Bellisario’s departure ultimately kept him on the show.

Harmon is known for his dedication to his work and his willingness to help those around him. This dedication is why he remained with NCIS for so long and why he excelled as the similarly resolute Gibbs. Despite the controversy that led to Bellisario’s departure, Harmon’s support and enthusiasm for the show allowed it to thrive.