Leroy Jethro Gibbs is returning to NCIS — sort of.
CBS has given a straight-to-series order for the latest NCIS spinoff, NCIS: Origins, which will be a prequel series about a young Gibbs in the early 1990s. Mark Harmon will be an executive producer as well as a narrator for the series, which seems to be a thing for prequel shows to long-running series (looking at you, Jensen Ackles on The Winchesters).
Harmon’s son, Sean Harmon, is an executive producer as well. Sean played a young Gibbs on NCIS (as pictured with this very article!) though it seems the character will be recast.
The show is set to premiere during the upcoming 2024-2025 TV season. As for Gibbs in present day, there’s no word yet on if or when we’ll see him again on the flagship series which he starred on for 19 seasons. Here’s the press release with more details:
CBS ANNOUNCES STRAIGHT TO SERIES ORDER FOR NEW DRAMA “NCIS: ORIGINS” FOR 2024-2025 BROADCAST SEASON
The Newest Chapter in the NCIS Franchise Exploring Gibbs’ Early Years to Be Narrated by Flagship Series Star Mark Harmon and Executive Produced by Harmon, Sean Harmon, Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North
CBS today announced a straight to series drama order for NCIS: ORIGINS for the 2024-2025 broadcast season from CBS Studios.
NCIS: ORIGINS begins in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS and follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, 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.
“We are elated and honored to continue the expansion of the NCIS universe in such a unique and unexpected way,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “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.”
“There’s no denying the cultural and global phenomenon of the NCIS franchise for the last 20 years,” said David Stapf, president of CBS Studios. “When Sean and Mark approached us all with this exciting expansion of the universe – exploring a young Gibbs – we knew it was the next story that needed to be told. We also couldn’t be luckier to have Gina and David at the helm as co-showrunners who are not only brilliant and adept writers, but know this character and universe so well.”
“We’re thrilled to be bringing this new chapter to life along with Mark and Sean Harmon,” said executive producers and co-showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North. “This really is the making of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And even the most dedicated NCIS fans will discover that they don’t know the whole story.”
“The character of Gibbs has been an important part of my life for 20 years, both in watching my father craft the role and previously having the honor to play young Gibbs myself,” added executive producer Sean Harmon. “I always felt there was a tale worth telling about his earlier years, so I am thrilled to be stepping into a producing role alongside Gina, David and my dad as we tell this story and reveal a new side of this beloved character.”
NCIS: ORIGINS is produced by CBS Studios. Mark Harmon, Sean Harmon, David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal will executive produce, with North and Monreal co-writing the premiere episode and serving as co-showrunners.
The series will reunite North and Monreal, who both wrote on NCIS for 10 years. North is currently co-showrunner and executive producer on NCIS. In addition to NCIS, Monreal’s credits include Netflix’s “Griselda,” “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” and the upcoming Dan Fogleman/Sterling K. Brown project for Hulu.
NCIS is the world’s most successful television franchise, and it is estimated that in the 2022-2023 TV season the franchise had over 300 million viewers around the world across all platforms including broadcast, cable, streaming and syndication (according to Nielsen and internal data).
