NCIS icon Mark Harmon has addressed the status of his on-screen future in the popular series. Mark Harmon appeared as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the first 19 seasons of NCIS. Now, Gibbs’ story will continue as part of a new project titled NCIS: Origins, and the role will be played by Austin Stowell, though Harmon will be heard narrating the prequel series. But the question remains: will Mark Harmon ever appear on camera in the main NCIS series ever again?
The beloved actor himself says he doesn’t know whether he will return to the series in the future, and while Harmon remains an executive producer of the show, his onscreen future remains uncertain. It has been two years since he last appeared on camera, early in Season 19, when Gibbs informed McGee that he wouldn’t be returning to D.C. and would instead stay in the Alaskan town where a case had led them. While promoting the upcoming prequel series at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, Harmon told TVLine that while it wasn’t necessarily his decision to step away, he has always let the writing team do what they wanted to do with its cast of characters.
“I have been asked that a lot… I’ve always let the writers do what they want to do.”
Harmon even continued the uncertainty when asked about a potential series finale appearance, stating that sometimes it’s really just about feeling a character’s time has reached its completion. In the past, NCIS showrunner Steven D. Binder discussed Gibbs’ absence from the franchise’s 1,000th episode back in April 2024, telling TVLine that the door is “open” for Harmon to return as Gibbs. However, should he make a comeback, they do not want it to be a small cameo…
“Of course, the door is always open. When we bring him back, we’re not going to bring him back for two minutes. It’s got to be something special.”
Mark Harmon Still Involved in the NCIS Universe, Potentially Opening the Door for an On-Screen Return
Mark Harmon continues to work as an executive producer of the original NCIS series and will also be a producer of the upcoming NCIS: Origins prequel, which is set in the 1990s. Producing along with narrating the forthcoming series ensures that Harmon will be in and around the TV universe for the foreseeable future. While he has missed the opportunity to appear on-screen for a few milestone episodes, the door clearly remains open, and it appears everyone is taking a ‘never say never’ approach to Leroy Gibbs returning in the future.
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For what it’s worth, Harmon is a massive fan of what Austin Stowell brings to the table as he takes on the role of a younger Leroy Gibbs. Speaking with USA Today on the same TCA press tour, Harmon remarked that NCIS: Origins executive producer Gina Lucita Monreal saw immediate star power in his successor. His full quote can be read below:
“I joked about Gina swooning, but the truth is she did. She may deny it, but she did. And when (Stowell) walked out of the room, she said, ‘Now that guy is a star!'”
NCIS: Origins
will premiere on CBS on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, at 9 PM ET before becoming available to stream on Paramount+. Full episodes of the original series are
available to stream on various platforms
.