Mark Harmon is gearing up for his return to the NCIS franchise with NCIS: Origins with a special appearance in the premiere. The prequel series will center on a young, newly-minted NIS Special Agent, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, in the 1990s at the fledgling Camp Pendleton. Austin Stowell will be stepping into the shoes of Gibbs, while Harmon will not only serve as executive producer but as narrator as well as he tells viewers stories that have never been told.
Even though Harmon will only serve as his character’s narrator, he will actually be making a brief appearance in the two-hour series premiere, airing on Monday, Oct. 14. “It was a discussion between Mark, myself, and Gina Monreal,” co-showrunner told reporters via Deadline. “I hope the audience will be excited to see him after so many years.”
“Enter Sandman” — Coverage of the CBS Original Series NCIS: ORIGINS, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
– Greg Gayne/CBS)
As for whether fans can look forward to future appearances from Harmon on-screen rather than just off-camera, North shared, “We are focusing on him telling the story of 1991. As far as Mark appearing again, we are open to anything.” It makes sense that they wouldn’t want to continuously have Harmon in the prequel series, at least on-screen. It is about Gibbs in the early ’90s. There’s not really any point to have Harmon on-screen for every episode, but it does sound like it could happen again in the future.
How Harmon will come into play in the premiere is unknown, but it will be nice to see him in the franchise once again. Harmon left NCIS at the beginning of Season 19 and while there have been rumors that the actor was planning a return, nothing had happened. This will mark his first appearance in the franchise since leaving the Mothership in 2021.
Fans will just have to tune in on Monday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS to see the premiere of NCIS: Origins, where Mark Harmon will make his highly-anticipated return. It should be interesting to see how this new series will do, but still fun nonetheless. The new series will take place just weeks after Gibbs loses his wife and daughter, and seeing a whole new side of him will be heartbreakingly emotional. Austin Stowell will surely bring the fire, and fans won’t want to miss a single second, and not just because Harmon’s returning.