CBS reveals the first look at Austin Stowell’s young Gibbs in NCIS: Origins. Set to premiere this fall during the 2024-2025 television season, Origins will follow the iconic NCIS lead as he first joins the eponymous organization. While Stowell will play the young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, original actor Mark Harmon will narrate the series. The show is set in 1991 and will feature appearances from characters already established within the NCIS universe, including Mike Franks and Gibbs’ father Jackson.
While unveiling its fall schedule, CBS shared the first image of Stowell for NCIS: Origins. The series will air Mondays at 10pm, coming directly after new episodes of NCIS season 22. Check out the image below:
Though the image reveals little of Stowell’s surroundings, it sets the stage for his forthcoming debut. CBS has not yet set an official premiere date for the show, but it will presumably arrive sometime in late September, based on the network’s typical fall schedule.
What This Image Reveals About NCIS: Origins
Assuming this image comes from the show itself and isn’t a simple promotional shot, it looks like NCIS: Origins will begin with Gibbs in a unique place. For much of his time on the original show, Gibbs always wore his hair in a close-cropped military style, something he retained from his time as a Marine. It was only later that he stopped cutting his hair that way. Currently, it doesn’t look like Stowell has adopted the same style, which could suggest NCIS: Origins will pick up with Gibbs during the time directly before he joins what is then-known as NIS.
Gibbs left the Marines following the deaths of his wife Shannon and daughter Kelly. According to NCIS’ currently-established timeline, he was gravely injured in Operation Desert Storm shortly after learning of their deaths and had to spend significant time recovering in the hospital. It could be that, during this time recovering and getting discharged from the Marines, Gibbs grew out his hair and only began cutting it close again when he started working at NIS. Origins might recap him getting recruited by Franks rather than starting with him as an agent.
From this simple image, it’s hard to gauge Stowell’s performance as the young Gibbs, but there is a slight resemblance between him and Harmon. Though Harmon played a vastly different Gibbs, the character still spent much of his time on the original NCIS scarred by the loss of his family, and Stowell can mine elements of Harmon’s performance to create his depiction of a Gibbs who is actually a probie, but already carrying the same weight as his older self. Origins should be a fascinating look at the beloved character, who left NCIS in season 19.
As NCIS: Origins doesn’t officially debut until the fall, it will likely be some time before more is revealed about the series. Production will ramp up this summer, and additional looks could come then. The prequel is one of four NCIS shows in the works, with the others being season 22 of the flagship, NCIS: Sydney season 2, and the untitled Tony/Ziva spinoff. Origins will take the place of the recently-cancelled NCIS: Hawaii on the CBS schedule, and it already seems as though the network has high hopes for this project.
