Mark Harmon’s Return for ‘NCIS: Origins,’ Explained

After exiting NCIS at the beginning of Season 19, Mark Harmon made his return to the franchise with the series premiere of prequel series NCIS: Origins on Oct. 14. It was announced earlier this year that the actor would indeed be coming back to the long-running franchise for the new prequel, but not in the way one would hope. It was revealed that Harmon would be an executive producer on the series, centered on Leroy Jethro Gibbs, whom he played for nearly 20 years, beginning with the JAG backdoor pilot in 2003.

Along with being an executive producer, Harmon was to narrate the series, returning as Gibbs, but not exactly on-screen. Harmon also executive produces alongside son Sean Harmon, who previously took up the Gibbs mantle in a few flashbacks on NCIS. Austin Stowell is instead playing Gibbs on Origins, but Harmon is still narrating the series and actually does appear as the fan-favorite special agent.

It was previously announced that Harmon would be making a brief appearance in the two-hour series premiere of NCIS: Origins. As for how exactly Harmon returned for Origins, he occasionally appeared throughout the first hour of the premiere to tell Gibbs’ story around a fire, writing in a journal. It’s unknown if Harmon will return for future episodes, even just briefly again, or just continue to narrate off-screen. Co-showrunner David J. North told reporters via Deadline, “We are focusing on him telling the story of 1991. As far as Mark appearing again, we are open to anything.” 

Additionally, Harmon is also working a lot behind the scenes, and not just as an executive producer. The actor has been giving advice to the Origins cast, including Stowell. The new lead told TV Insider, “Mark Harmon has done a job that actors dream to do. He’s captured the world and so that is just slightly daunting. But getting to know Mark has really been paramount to me stepping into these shoes and trying to fill them.” Additionally, Harmon gave Stowell the advice to “trust yourself,” as it’s not easy playing an already established character, but just a few episodes in, and Stowell has already been doing a great job.

Whether or not Mark Harmon will return on-screen is unknown, but he will still be narrating and serving as an executive producer, which is better than nothing. Plus, there is much to look forward to in the new series, including another origin story involving one of the newer characters. New episodes of NCIS: Origins air on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.