Per Deadline, it’s been announced that Mariel Molino has signed on to co-star as the female lead in NCIS: Origins. The show serves as a prequel to NCIS, and Austin Stowell is playing a younger version of Mark Harmon’s character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Harmon is also returning as the older Gibbs by serving as an in-character narrator for the show, which will debut on CBS during the 2024-25 broadcast season.
Mariel Molino is playing a new character created for NCIS: Origins. She plays the role of Special Agent Lala Dominguez, described as a “former Marine who navigates her 1990s male-dominated field with a steely resolve and a dark sense of humor. When a tormented Leroy Jethro Gibbs joins her team, the ensuing story between these two enigmatic outsiders is filled with sparks and turns that will keep the audience guessing.”
Molino, a Mexican-American actress, has appeared in various Spanish-language projects, such as El Juego De Las Llaves and La Negociadora. She can also be recognized for her roles in TV shows like Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico, ABC’s Promised Land, and Freeform’s The Watchful Eye. Molino will also be seen in the upcoming movies The Shade and Dead Man’s Switch.
NCIS Expands Further With Multiple Spinoffs
NCIS: Origins is one of multiple upcoming spinoffs coming to the NCIS franchise. After it was announced that the prequel series was happening, it was more recently revealed that Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo will return for their own spinoff focusing on Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David. Meanwhile, NCIS: Hawai’i continues with its third season, while the Australian spinoff, NCIS: Sydney, debuted in November.
Sean Harmon, the real-life son of Mark Harmon, previously played a younger Gibbs in flashback scenes for NCIS. Both Harmons are serving as executive producers on NCIS: Origins. Co-showrunners and premiere episode writers David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal are also executive producing.
“We are elated and honored to continue the expansion of the NCIS universe in such a unique and unexpected way,” a previous statement from CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach said when the spinoff was announced. “Viewers can look forward to Mark Harmon returning to CBS to narrate the complex and mysterious backstory of Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ early years in NCIS: Origins, which will build on the rich legacy of this character while reintroducing fan-favorite characters and meeting new ones.”