In the wake of NCIS: Hawai’i’s surprise cancellation, CBS is preparing to premiere the massive IP's newest spinoff, which is subtitled Origins. The show, which will serve as a prequel and follow a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs as a newly minted special agent, is set to premiere this fall amid the 2024 TV schedule. Starring a fresh, young cast, the series will take the franchise to uncharted, storytelling territory. Now, cast member Kyle Schmid, who will take over for Muse Watson and play legendary agent Mike Franks, has revealed how Mark Harmon and co. have provided support amid production.
When it was announced that Harmon was developing a new NCIS spinoff, fans were likely ecstatic that he was making his return return to the franchise. The development came a few years after he opened up about his pre-Season 19 exit from the flagship series. While he won’t be starring on the show, he is still serving as narrator and executive producer, meaning he’s likely spent a lot of time around the new cast. Schmid spoke to TV Insider about being a part Origins and explained that Harmon has been invaluable for the cast and crew:
I think it’s a great opportunity to be part of something grandfathered into the industry as a standard for procedural television. It has been running for what’s going to be seasons. Mark Harmon did it and put his stamp on it and kind of led the way for everybody. It has been a really neat experience because he has lent his expertise and advice, and help to all of us through emails and calls. Just time spent piquing his brain has been really important.
It’s great hearing just how involved the veteran actor has been with the series, especially since it does revolve around his famous character. Half of the key players on NCIS: Origins are already known to devoted fans, and so continuity must be maintained. Since Franks was Gibbs’ mentor, it makes sense that the St. Elsewhere alum wants to make sure that the story is being taken care of and that Kyle Schmid and young Gibbs actor Austin Stowell keep their characters consistent with how viewers know them.
Mark Harmon isn't the only OG actor that Kyle Schmid has gotten close to and received advice from either. He also revealed that he’s spoken to Muse Watson on more than a few occasions. With that, Schmid earned his biggest seal of approval from him when it comes to playing Mike Franks:
He and I have become friends. We talk every couple of weeks and catch up on life. Having his blessing to play a younger version of a character he developed has been very cool.
It’s not easy to play an already established character and take over the role from someone who's portrayed it well. When Origins was announced, Franks was prominently mentioned in the show's initial synopsis, given that Gibbs would be part of his team. It was probably just a matter of time before this beloved NCIS character was brought back in the fold after he was killed off in Season 8. Since Kyle Schmid has been able to talk to Muse Watson and get advice from him, that likely made his transition into the role of Franks a bit easier. Shoutout to Watson and Mark Harmon for being such great mentors and for helping the newbies get situated.
It will be exciting to see how NCIS: Origins does when it premieres in the fall on CBS and, of course, I can't wait to see what Kyle Schmid, Austin Stowell and the rest of the cast bring to the franchise's legacy.
