Mark Harmon has finally broken his silence on where Gibbs might be in NCIS and the possibility of a return!
For many NCIS fans, the show hasn’t been the same without Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Season 19 opened with a stunning turn as, having cleared his name of murder, Gibbs elected to retire to a small cabin in Alaska. He’s been mentioned a few times since, but hasn’t popped up on screen.
Mark Harmon is still tied to the character as he narrates episodes of NCIS: Origins, focusing on a younger Gibbs (played by Austin Stowell) working for the NIS in the 1990s. Appearing on the NCIS: Partners & Probies podcast with Brian Dietzen and Diona Reasonover, Harmon was asked a few questions about where Gibbs might be today. Among them was the name of the dog Gibbs had adopted.
“Dog?’ Yeah, I don’t know the name. I just know he’s got a friend sometimes. Maybe the dog goes back in the evening somewhere else or I think he’d be all in for letting that happen. I don’t know.”
There have been hopes that Gibbs could pop up once again on NCIS, and Harmon discussed how connected he remains to the franchise.
Could Mark Harmon return to NCIS?
Harmon had to address the possibility of a Gibbs return. The show has done a few big episodes, like the 1,000th episode of the franchise, without Gibbs making an on-screen appearance. On the podcast, the 74-year-old actor indicated he’s happy to simply do voice overs for Origins and that, surprisingly, he hasn't been approached about a full-on guest appearance.
“I wait to be asked. I’m not gonna dive in there and say anything unless you ask me. And you’d be surprised how many people don’t ask, right? And that’s OK, too. It’s a different way of doing it. Not the way I did it, but that doesn’t make it right. Part of this is being surrounded by talented people and allowing them to do their job individually and trusting that.
That may seem surprising, but perhaps the writers and showrunners think bringing back Gibbs just for a ratings pop isn't right for the character. After all he's been through, from personal tragedies to near-death experiences, Gibbs has more than earned the right to retire peacefully than continue on this job, and letting him be happy off-screen is better.
Of course, the latest NCIS episode did hint that Gibbs was the one who killed corrupt Director Rogers (the man behind Vance's death). Harmon wasn't on screen, but given that Rogers was killed by a sniper shot that only Gibbs could make, and Parker's "gift" of Alaskan fish, it wasn't hard to connect the dots.
Harmon added that Origins “is a different show. Very different, certainly, than the mothership. Different group of actors. All of whom have done their homework. All of whom have studied the original and seen so many episodes they can’t see straight.”
It may be that after nearly two decades playing Gibbs, Harmon doesn’t feel a need to say anything more. He’d rather let NCIS continue on with fresher faces while Origins delves into how Gibbs became the man we know today. Maybe it’s better to think of Gibbs enjoying a long-deserved happy retirement rather than being dragged back into action. If nothing else, going his own way was always Gibbs’ style and why he remains so loved.
NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on CBS.
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