For years, Mark Harmon's Gibbs has been a voice in NCIS: Origins. Next season, he gets a face — and a story of his own.
The return
Harmon will appear on screen in every episode of the prequel's third season, Variety and Deadline reported — his first sustained on-screen acting commitment to the NCIS universe since he stepped back from the flagship series in the 2021-22 season. Until now, his role in Origins had been limited to narrating as the present-day Gibbs and serving as an executive producer, with on-screen appearances confined to the series premiere and a crossover.
How it works
NCIS: Origins is set largely in the early 1990s and follows a young Gibbs — played by Austin Stowell — as a new agent at Camp Pendleton. According to Variety, the new season adds a present-day mystery tied directly to those early years that unfolds across the whole season, giving Harmon a substantial dramatic thread while Stowell continues to carry the period timeline. It is a more serialized structure than the franchise, built on self-contained cases, usually attempts.
A long history with the role
Harmon originated Gibbs when NCIS premiered on CBS in 2003 and played the taciturn investigator for some 18 seasons before his exit, which the show handled quietly. He and his son Sean Harmon are among the prequel's executive producers. NCIS: Origins has performed well for CBS since its 2024 debut, earning a renewal while its second season was still airing.
What to expect
The third season is set to run on CBS in the fall, with reporting indicating a shorter, roughly 10-episode order. A specific premiere date has not been announced. For the franchise's sizable and loyal audience, the draw is clear: not a nostalgic cameo, but the original Gibbs anchoring a full season — told across two timelines decades apart.
