With the premiere of NCIS: Origins in October as part of the 2024 TV schedule, Mark Harmon signified his grand return to the expansive franchise after exiting the Mothership series at the beginning of Season 19. While he's taken on a step-back role as executive producer and narrator, he did make an appearance as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the prequel’s premiere. As one of the show's OG actors going all the way back to the JAG backdoor pilot, Harmon revealed what exactly drew him to the series that wound up becoming a phenomenon.
It's hard to imagine the NCIS franchise without Harmon, as he was basically the face of the IP for almost 20 years. His work continues through NCIS: Origins, which is a prequel centering on Gibbs that proves just how important the character is. When Harmon told The Hollywood Reporter what really made him take the job years ago, he partially credited it to his character's moniker:
I was sent the NCIS script, and I just know that I read the name ‘Leroy Jethro Gibbs,’ and the name stopped me. People say, ‘What attracted you to the story?” I said, “The name.’ (Laughs.) There’s more to it than that, obviously, but I didn’t expect to be taken in like I was. That’s also a credit to storytelling and thinking you have something to potentially offer that role.
I'd definitely say that if I were to hear the name “Leroy Jethro Gibbs” without any knowledge of who he was, I'd wonder just who is the man behind the name. Those who watch NCIS either on CBS or with a Paramount+ subscription surely know that Gibbs was named after his father’s best friend, Leroy Jethro “LJ” Moore. Of course, there's way more to Gibbs than just his name, though I can still understand why Harmon would find it appealing upon first glance.
The ups and downs of Gibbs' early life may be why Mark Harmon decided to do NCIS: Origins. The Gibbs prequel series takes place in the early ‘90s, not long after the then-newly minted NIS agent loses his wife and daughter. There’s a lot to uncover with his backstory, and Austin Stowell skillfully helps play that out through his role as the younger version of the character.
When it comes to the franchise's flagship show, some are still holding out hope that Mark Harmon will return to the Mothership series following his exit a few years ago. That's especially true now that he’s back with the franchise via the spinoff. He might not opt to return as Gibbs for the parent series but, at least, there’s a possibility that he’ll still pop up on Origins.
There was no telling 20 years ago just how far NCIS would go after the show was greenlit. But the spinoff ended up bigger than JAG and continues to maintain a solid audience. I'm also glad that Mark Harmon decided to sign on and find it so cool that his character's name was a major selling point for him. Here's hoping that the franchise continues to go strong as time moves on and that Harmon and co. manage to deftly expand the story of the man known as Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
