Ducky Returning to ‘NCIS’ Universe After David McCallum’s Death — Here’s How

Ducky is officially coming back to the NCIS universe.

David McCallum died in 2023 at the age of 90, and the Mothership paid tribute to him and his beloved character in 2024.

Now it seems like fans haven’t seen the last of Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Adam Campbell is set to reprise his role as the younger version of Ducky in an upcoming episode of NCIS: Origins. The episode will also serve as a tribute to McCallum, who made his debut as Ducky in the NCIS two-part backdoor pilot on JAG in 2003 and played the role for 20 seasons on the Mothership.

“We wanted to do this episode to honor the memory of our dear friend David McCallum. He was a beloved member of the NCIS family for so many years, and we’re incredibly lucky to have the talented Adam Campbell back to bring the younger version of this iconic character to life once again,” co-showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North said in a statement. “We even got to feature David’s music in the episode. We’re all very excited and can’t wait for the fans to see it.”

Campbell appeared as young Ducky in flashbacks on NCIS in four episodes. His last appearance was at the beginning of Season 18 in 2020 in an episode that touched on Gibbs and Ducky’s first meeting. In the upcoming Origins episode, “The Edge,” Ducky arrives at Camp Pendleton “to shadow the team while they work a case. In the process, he reconnects with Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) after the two crossed paths years earlier.” Although a premiere date has not been announced, the episode is premiering this fall.

Ducky will be the latest NCIS character to appear on NCIS: Origins. Along with Stowell portraying Gibbs, the series regular cast includes Schmid as Mike Franks and Diany Rodriguez as Vera Strickland. Meanwhile, Robert Taylor plays Jackson Gibbs, Lucas Dixon guest starred as FBI Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell, Claire Berger guest starred as Lara Macy, and Kathleen Kenny guest starred as Gibbs’ future second wife Diane Sterling.

On top of the tribute to McCallum, NCIS: Origins will also be revealing Lala’s fate following the Season 1 cliffhanger that saw her involved in a car accident. Tune in to the Season 2 premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS to see what happens. More details surrounding the premiere date for the tribute should be announced in the coming weeks.