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You don’t need to watch NCIS to understand NCIS: Origins, here's why

By Sabrina Reed

“Enter Sandman” – NCIS: ORIGINS follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by Mark Harmon. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office, where he forges his place on a gritty ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), on the series premiere of NCIS: ORIGINS, Monday, Oct. 14 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
“Enter Sandman” – NCIS: ORIGINS follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by Mark Harmon. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office, where he forges his place on a gritty ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), on the series premiere of NCIS: ORIGINS, Monday, Oct. 14 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. / CBS
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Minor spoilers ahead for the NCIS: Origins premiere

NCIS: Origins has made its debut on CBS with a two-part premiere that introduced new viewers to Leroy Jethro Gibbs both in the present and the past, while also letting longtime fans get reacquainted with the character.

For those who don't know, the series is a prequel that gets its start because the Gibbs of the NCISverse that people know, played by Mark Harmon, has a story that he's telling that he's never shared before. He's all alone at a camp site writing this tale in a journal and bringing us into his world in the aftermath of his wife and daughter's murders. The year is 1991, it's only been months since tragedy struck, and Gibbs is now working for the Naval Investigative Service (NIS), the predecessor to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

The franchise's flagship did cover Gibbs' life during this time which left some fans wondering what exactly the prequel series could mine that hadn't already been told. Remember, NCIS is on season 22 and Harmon was a part of the show for 19 seasons. We're talking about broadcast here so that's 18-22 episode appearances year after year, the flagship has shared quite a bit with its audience about Gibbs' story. However, NCIS: Origins promises to be a fresh take. Older Gibbs says as much in his voice-over as this the first time he's really opening up about the early days of his career.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs looking out of the rolled down window of his light blue truck. NCIS: Origins.
“Enter Sandman” / “Enter Sandman, Part 2” – NCIS: ORIGINS follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by Mark Harmon. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office, where he forges his place on a gritty ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), on the series premiere of NCIS: ORIGINS, Monday, Oct. 14 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS. / CBS

NCIS: Origins is a standalone story

If you're wondering if you have to watch NCIS to really get a handle on NCIS: Origins plot, the answer is no. Book lovers who drop in and out of mystery series like Will Trent and Cross know how this goes. There's enough background information in the story to get the gist of what's going on. Sure, having the knowledge can help enrich the story, and if that's something you need check out our sister site Hidden Remote's primer on what NCIS episodes to watch, but it's not necessary.

We're meeting Gibbs at a time in his life when he's not the man fans of the franchise know him to be. He's a grieving widower with a temper who is learning how to investigate and speak up about his findings. We're talking about a green Gibbs, one who hasn't come into his own yet. That's very apparent in the premiere, "Enter Sandman," and like I said, he's never told this story before. We know this because it's about Lala Dominguez and she isn't in the flagship. No one, not even viewers who've been watching NCIS since it began in 2003 knows who Lala is, so in that regard we're all starting at 0 and learning about her and the mystery around her character together.

NCIS: Origins airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET starting Oct. 21. Stay tuned to Americans Undercover for coverage. Follow us on X and Facebook for more content.

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