Update on Mark Harmon’s Career Plans Amidst ‘NCIS’ Return

Mark Harmon may be making a return to the acting world.

A new article from the National Examiner says the actor is “bored” with his semi-retirement, which is why he is soon to appear on a new episode of NCIS after his retirement from the series in 2021.

The upcoming episode, a crossover between NCIS and NCIS: Origins, has the 74-year-old actor reprise his well-known role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The guest star role has “made him realize how much he misses being in front of the camera,” a source told the Examiner.

When he retired from NCIS after 18 seasons, his character Gibbs also retired to Alaska. He has since spent his time working on a spy novel, producing NCIS: Origins, and reprising his role as Jamie Lee Curtis’ husband in the recent Disney film Freakier Friday.

“Mark tried to enjoy the downtime, but the truth is, he misses the routine, the crew, the fans, the whole buzz of being on set,” the source said.

According to the source, Paramount and CBS are trying their hardest to bring him back to NCIS full-time, as he is easily the show’s most iconic character. But Harmon is looking elsewhere, and is “saying he wants to stretch himself and has started looking at projects outside the NCIS universe, including movies.”

“He’s open to the right project that will keep him busy and inspired,” with the source saying that his wife, actress Pam Dawber, “will be the first to tell you she would be glad if he got out of the house again… He’s turning 75 next year, but he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank and the truth is he’s just not ready to retire — he probably never will be!”