After a shocking exit from NCIS, Mark Harmon is returning to the prequel — and will be appearing in all episodes in season 3.
CBS confirmed on Tuesday, June 30, that Harmon, 74, will reprise the role of present day Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He will appear in all episodes in the upcoming season as “part of a present-day mystery tied to his ‘90s Camp Pendleton days in an action-packed story that unfolds all season long,” the synopsis teased.
Harmon previously reprised his role as Gibbs in the prequel’s crossover event with NCIS in November 2025. In the opening scene, a present-day version of the character reflected on his life while in a cabin with a dog.
“Three decades, it’s a hell of a long time. That’s how long I put in on the job. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about those early days,” he recalled. “Back when I was still cutting my teeth. Over the years, the outside changes but inside you still feel all the same thing.”
Gibbs continued: “A long time ago, I worked with a dog that had a first and a last name. He’s a good guy, just like you. I was lucky. I worked with a lot of good guys.”
Harmon’s return to the NCIS universe came years after his initial exit.
“Four years ago, Gibbs disappeared to Alaska to live a life of solitude,” executive producers David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal said in a statement before the season 2 episode of NCIS: Origins aired. “We know how much fans have missed seeing Mark and have wondered what Gibbs is up to today. Well, on November 11, we’re so excited to announce that Mark Harmon will return as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the Origins hour of the NCIS crossover event. We don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say Gibbs is no longer alone.”
Harmon also addressed his decision to return, saying, “I’m very proud of the storytelling that David and Gina are doing on Origins. They continue to push boundaries and dive deeper into the characters’ backstories. They came to me with an idea for Gibbs that I liked, and it seemed like a good time to check in with him. I hope fans enjoy it.”
Harmon, who has remained an executive producer of both shows and is a narrator on the NCIS prequel, hadn’t played Gibbs on screen beyond Origins‘ 2024 pilot. The actor made his NCIS debut as Gibbs in 2003, going on to play the lead role for 18 years. His final appearance aired in late 2021, and Harmon moved on to work on the prequel alongside his eldest son, Sean.
“It wasn’t so much a decision to leave, but the right timing to push away a little bit,” he said on a July 2024 panel at the Television Critics Association summer press tour about his departure. “I was thrilled with the story line they came up with and how they handled the character. And the show continued on.”
Harmon was asked whether he could see himself returning in an onscreen capacity. “I have been asked that a lot,” he noted. “[But] I’ve always let the writers do what they want to do.”
NCIS: Origins returns this fall to CBS Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
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