Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) walked away from NCIS on Oct. 11, 2021, in the Season 19 episode "Great Wide Open," opting to stay in Naktok Bay, Alaska, after finding a sense of peace in life that he had never felt before. We thought it would be the last time we saw Gibbs on CBS, but we were wrong. CBS has ordered an NCIS prequel called NCIS: Origins, and the show will focus on Gibbs' early life, promising to shed new light on the character who commanded one of TV's most-watched shows for almost two decades.
While details on the show are being kept as tight as military secrets, that won't stop us from asking questions — questions like when NCIS: Origins will premiere, who will star in the prequel, and what the series will be about. We'll answer all those as best we can below.
ALSO READ: CBS's 2024 fall TV schedule and premiere dates
NCIS: Originslatest news
At the Television Critics Association press tour in July, co-showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal announced that Lori Petty (Tank Girl) and Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) have joined the cast in recurring roles. Petty will play assistant medical examiner Dr. Lenora Friedman, and Moynihan will play NCIS lead forensic analyst Woody Browne. "We've done scenes with Bobby, and so far hysterical is an understatement," North said.
What is NCIS: Originsabout?
NCIS: Origins is set in 1991 and follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs — the eventual leader of NCIS's Major Case Response Team who headlined the flagship series for 18-plus seasons — as a new agent at the NCIS Camp Pendleton office that's located between Los Angeles and San Diego. There, he makes his mark as a fledgling agent on a team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks, who also appeared in NCISand was known in that series as Gibbs' mentor. In the NCIS timeline, NCIS: Origins takes place shortly after the deaths of Gibbs' first wife Shannon and daughter Kelly, who died in a car crash caused by the drug dealer Pedro Hernandez.
"This really is the making of Leroy Jethro Gibbs," executive producers and co-showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North said in a statement. "And even the most dedicated NCIS fans will discover that they don't know the whole story."
The time period should make NCIS: Origins operate differently than previous series in the NCIS franchise. "Because we don't have the DNA [forensic technology], we don't have the same kind of forensics," Monreal said at the Television Critics Association press tour in July. "So really it boils down to character, even in our case of the week. Our show also will go home with our investigators and see how their personal lives are affecting their professional lives, which will be sort of a new element that we're really pushing into the show because it's going to allow for a deeper investment in our characters and in our world."
Origins will also feel different. "I think we also have a sort of fresh and interesting tone," Monreal said. "It's an edgier tone. It's a more modern feeling, even though we're back in 1991. The look of it is unlike any NCISthat you've seen. So with the heart of what makes NCIS so special at its core — we're putting it in a different sort of package, which I think is going to be really refreshing."
Who is playing young Gibbs in NCIS: Origins?
Ahhh... the big question! Austin Stowell will play Gibbs in NCIS: Origins. Stowell got his big break as Jesse in The Secret Life of the American Teenager in 2009. He had a major role in the 2014 film Whiplashand was a series regular on Hulu's Catch-22 in 2019. On the gossip scene, he was also known for being in a romantic relationship with The Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev in the mid-2010s.
At the Television Critics Association press tour in July, Stowell discussed stepping into the large shoes of Gibbs. "I had this incredible road map in front of me that David and Gina had written," Stowell said. "There were these really rich, complex scenes that I was able to dive into. This is a Gibbs that is dealing with the loss of his wife and child. This is not the Gibbs that you know, that the world knows right now, that's the team leader who's always so put together. This is somebody who's broken. This is somebody who's searching for his identity, trying to find himself and ground himself back in the world."
NCIS: Originsrelease date
NCIS: Origins will debut Monday, Oct. 14 at 9/8c, immediately after the Season 22 premiere of NCIS. It will move to the 10/9c slot beginning Oct. 21. If that seems later in the season than a usual fall premiere, that's because it is. But it is part of CBS's strategy this year; NCIS and NCIS: Origins are kicking off CBS's big premiere week, as the network hopes to leverage its NFL broadcasts to boost promotion of its fall shows. Head here for CBS's complete fall schedule, including when everything premieres.
NCIS: Originscast and characters
The role of young Leroy Jethro Gibbs has gone to Austin Stowell. Mariel Molino will play Special Agent Lala Dominguez, a former Marine "with a steely resolve and a dark sense of humor," according toDeadline. Though Dominguez is a new character to the NCIS universe, expect some sparks between her and Gibbs. And Kyle Schmid (Six, Being Human) will play Mike Franks, the head of the NCIS program. Special Agent Mike Franks is described "as a proud Texan who all but showers in his cowboy boots and sports a perfectly coiffed mustache that's as thick as his skin."
- Austin Stowell as young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon in NCIS)
- Mariel Molino as Special Agent Lala Dominguez
- Kyle Schmid as Special Agent Mike Franks (played by Muse Watson in NCIS)
- Tyla Abercrumbie as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Sullivan
- Diany Rodriguez as Special Agent Vera Strickland (played by Roma Maffia in NCIS)
- Mark Harmon as narrator
- Lori Petty as Dr. Lenora Friedman, assistant medical director
- Bobby Moynihan as Woody Browne, NCIS lead forensic analyst
Is Mark Harmon involved in NCIS: Origins?
Yes, he is. Harmon, who played Gibbs for 18-plus seasons on NCIS, is on board as an executive producer, but he'll also play a key role in the series as the narrator. What's more, Sean Harmon, Mark's real-life son, is also executive producing alongside his dad, and the duo were the driving force behind creating the show. In a fun bit of trivia, Sean also played young Gibbs in flashbacks onNCIS.
"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," Sean Harmon said in a statement. "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 [Lucita Monreal], David [J. North], and my dad as we tell this story and reveal a new side of this beloved character."
At the Television Critics Association press tour, Harmon talked about not playing Gibbs anymore but also being involved in the new show. "I think there just was a time when — it wasn't so much a decision to leave as it was maybe just the right timing to push away a little bit," Harmon said. "I was thrilled with the storyline [EPs Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North] came up with and how they handled the character. And the show's continued on. I was always of the opinion that this show would carry on, no matter who left or who joined. So the fact that this show now comes out of the grass with these two, which were, in my opinion, the best writer/creators that ever came through that footpath, there was just an opportunity there. The idea was [Sean Harmon's], and it just made sense that there was a different story to tell. It's 1990 Camp Pendleton. So, to me, it seems new, and why not?"
Streaming recommendations:
- The best shows on Netflix
- The best shows on Prime Video
- The best shows on Max
- The best shows on Hulu
How willNCIS: Originstie into NCIS?
Because NCIS: Origins is a prequel, it will be part of the NCIS universe and respect the show's canon, so expect anything that you know about NCIS will still be true inNCIS: Origins. "We have three people that are total stans of NCIS, and they're constantly correcting me," North said at the Television Critics Association. "There's times where they're astonished how much I don't know about episodes I actually wrote. But, yes, we're taking that very seriously. And, honestly, we hit roadblocks at times and say, 'Oh, man. We can't do that because this was established.' But usually if you just stay persistent with it, and you really put everybody in the room together on it, it can end up creating something better, creatively, [because] you had to get around that roadblock."
Who is the creative team behind NCIS: Origins?
It appears that Mark and Sean Harmon were the brains behind the pitch, and both are on board as executive producers. Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North, who both previously wrote for NCIS, are also executive producing, will serve as co-showrunners, and will write the premiere episode.
More shows like NCIS
If the idea of NCIS: Origins has you itching for more NCIS-like action but you're in the mood for something new, check out our list of shows like NCIS, which includes more military dramas and thrillers.
Where can I watch NCIS?
NCIS can be streamed on Netflix, Paramount+, and PlutoTV.
