The first teaser for the Leroy Jethro Gibbs NCIS: Origins prequel series has been released. The project will effectively bring Mark Harmon back to the CBS police procedural universe. Not only is he narrating the events of the show, he is also serving as an executive director for it. The young Gibbs role has been recast with Austin Stowell, who will portray the beloved character during his years under Mike Franks’ team.
CBS (via TV Promos) has released the first teaser for NCIS: Origins that hypes up the beginning of Gibbs’ story with the agency. Watch the video below:
The clip uses footage from Harmon’s final episode in NCIS. For context, Gibbs retired in Naktok Bay, Alaska after a case brought him and Tim McGee to the remote location. He has yet to return to Navy Yard since his decision to walk away from the job that he loved for decades.
Will Mark Harmon Appear In The Gibbs NCIS Prequel Spinoff?
NCIS’ 1000th episode was the perfect opportunity to bring back Harmon, especially since its case was tied to the very first case that Gibbs and his original team worked on. Unfortunately, he was a no-show in the outing, just like he was for Ducky’s special send-off tribute. That being said, the creatives behind NCIS maintain that the door will always be open for Harmon to appear, which means he can come back anytime. When that time comes, however, they want to make sure that they make the most of their time with him.
Currently, there are no concrete plans for Harmon to return to the flagship series, but things might be different for NCIS: Origins. While its format is similar to Young Sheldon, where Jim Parsons’ adult Sheldon narrates the events of every episode, Harmon may be more open to reprising the character on the screen again, even just for the premiere. It would explain why he is recounting his earliest days with the agency and will be a great way to draw more attention to the show when it debuts sometime during CBS’ next fall TV slate.
It’s unclear when production will start for NCIS: Origins, although the show’s casting sheet has been getting regular updates with new additions. NCIS star Sean Murray previously revealed that Harmon is quite excited about this new project. As someone who inhabited the role for two decades, getting him involved would help in terms of maintaining continuity, which is very important for the overall NCIS franchise.
