The creators of NCIS: Origins explain Mark Harmon’s involvement in the prequel series. The premiere of the CBS series is mere weeks away, focusing on a younger version of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by Austin Stowell) in the early 1990s. But the NCIS prequel spinoff, which is executive produced by Harmon, will be narrated by the actor and he’ll also make an on-screen appearance.
In an interview with TVLine, ahead of the NCIS: Originspremiere on Monday, October 14, at 10 PM ET on CBS, co-creator David J. North, who serves as showrunner with Gina Lucita Monreal, shared that Harmon is “as hands-on as we want him to be.” In the quote below, NCIS franchise mainstay North also addressed how Harmon helps out if the creative team is stuck on something and serves as a source of support for Stowell. Read the quote below:
“No. He’s as hands-on as we want him to be. [He] is there for us to talk through things, if Gina and I can’t come to a consensus on something. If we’re not sure which way to go, left or right at a fork in the road, and we need another opinion, he’s there for us. Mark’s not going to bulls–t you. And he’s certainly there for Austin [Stowell, who plays young Gibbs], which has been a huge thing and obviously is important to us.”
What The Involvement Of Harmon Means For NCIS: Origins
It’s A Very Personal Story For Gibbs
The 1990s-set prequel centers on Stowell’s version of Gibbs as he’s just starting out as a Special Agent at NCIS’ Camp Pendleton office. Intending to build up a gritty team, Gibbs has the help of another familiar face from the main NCIS series: Mike Franks. Played in his older years by Muse Watson, the prequel enlisted Kyle Schmid for the role. Stowell and Schmid are two among the relatively large NCIS: Origins cast, which is included in the table below:
While the co-creators have directly answered Harmon’s involvement as a creative force, they have also spoken about why Harmon will occasionally appear on-screen in NCIS: Origins. Though the specifics are being kept under wraps, there is a reason why Gibbs is looking back on his younger years. That reason will be revealed in the premiere episode, meaning that the prequel will have an important emotional component for those invested in Gibbs’ character.
Our Take On A Gibbs-Focused Prequel
NCIS Is Evolving
Although the CBS franchise has been largely successful in a case-of-the-week format, focused around a single location, the latest attempts at a spinoff are more character-based and personal. There is NCIS: Orgins, though also the upcoming Paramount+ drama NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which is focused on the relationship between the two lead characters and their lives as parents. It serves as a sign that these long-time characters have built a source of support that’s all their own.