NCIS: Origins made its debut on Oct. 14. I don't know about you, but I was blown away by the quality of the series right out of the gate. The prequel hit the ground running, establishing its darker, grittier tone compared to its predecessor and introducing us to a Leroy Jethro Gibbs who is learning the ropes of the NIS and so unmoored by grief that he has problems controlling his temper and reckless impulsiveness.
What helps grounds the procedural is the return of Mark Harmon as the Gibbs fans of NCIS know and love. He narrates the series and, in the series premiere, he makes an appearance, guiding us into this tale about Gibbs' life in the aftermath of the loss of his wife Shannon and their daughter Kelly. He's sitting by a fire, in a remote location, writing in his journal about the story which he never tells--the one about Lala Dominguez, his co-worker on Mike Franks' NIS team.
Harmon's cameo may have given some viewers the impression that we can expect to see him if not in every episode of NCIS: Origins season 1 then at least the majority of it. Unfortunately, that won't be the case. The actor made his return to the NCISverse for the premiere but that doesn't mean he's signed on to appear in more episodes.
Co-showrunner David J. North, however, hasn't definitively shut down another older Gibbs' sighting. He said the following in a Deadline interview he did with his fellow co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal:
"Anything is possible. We don’t want to give away too much of what’s going to happen and a lot is still being figured out. Our show focuses on 1991 and these characters, this rich tapestry that we have going with these characters, but certainly anything is possible."
North's response was in the context of whether we might see Harmon again fireside or perhaps someplace else. He and Monreal have left the door open for the possibility and, since North didn't specify whether we'd only see Harmon at his camp site, we may get to see him in other environments. It could depend on the subject matter of the episode he may be featured in.
But, in the meantime, we can count on hearing the NCIS legend each episode. Harmon is fittingly the narrator of the prequel series so each new piece of information we learn about young Gibbs is told to us by the man himself.
Stay tuned to Americans Undercover for NCIS: Origins coverage. New episodes of the series air Mondayst at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. Next day streaming is available on Paramount. Follow us on X and Facebook for more content.