NCIS: Origins takes us back to the '90s: What to know about the prequel series

Before Leroy Jethro Gibbs was the man, the myth, and the legend, he was a rookie NIS agent reeling from the loss of his wife Shannon and his daughter, Kelly, who were murdered. NCIS has told that story but now fans will be let in on the aftermath of the tragedy and Gibbs' killing of Pedro Hernandez, the drug dealer who took their lives because Shannon witnessed him murder a Marine at Camp Pendleton.

That's a very hard angle from which NCIS: Origins is primed to let viewers into the younger Gibbs' life but it's also an intriguing one. We'll be meeting the agent when he's green and looking to cut his teeth while on the NIS team led by Mike Franks. Their group is described as "gritty" and "ragtag" which gives the impression we'll be moving from case-to-case with a misfit band of agents who all have chips on their shoulders. It should make for some interesting dynamics in the field.

Longtime fans are eager to see Franks and Gibbs' relationship at its beginning. Co-showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal teased, while speaking to TVLine, that we'll be seeing Gibbs with "a different kind of shading than we've seen before as a character" and that he has a "bit of awe" in his eyes when he looks at Franks.

Remember, this is Gibbs as a probie, we're about to see how he became the man everyone knows and loves from the flagship. North has assured viewers that there's plenty to mine from this backstory set 12 years before NCIS began.

"They don’t know as much as they think they do. Seeing Gibbs arrive at NIS on Day 1, and seeing how Gibbs became Gibbs…? You will realize there’s so much to explore."

NCIS: Origins premiere date

We'll be transported to Gibbs' first day on the job come Monday. Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. ET right after the flagship's twenty second season gets underway. NCIS: Origins launch will consist of a two hour premiere. 9 p.m., however, won't be its regular time slot during the season. It'll settle into the 10 p.m. hour starting Oct. 21. Like with all CBS programming, new episodes will be available to stream on Paramount+ the day after they air. An official episode count has yet to be announced.

Cast

Fans will be happy to know that Mark Harmon will be returning to the NCIS franchise in more than an executive producer role, though he is serving in that capacity for this series along with his son Sean Harmon. The elder Harmon is set to narrate for the prequel.

More on the cast below (character information from Deadline and Variety)!

Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs - NCIS: Origins brings us into Gibbs' life in 1991 as he begins his career as an NIS agent. He's a probie when we meet him, dealing with grief, and learning the ropes in a new organization after his time as a Marine.

Mariel Molino as Special Agent Lala Dominguez - Like Gibbs, Dominguez is a former Marine. However, as a woman, her experience in the military and in the NIS is much different from his. The way she navigates the male dominated field includes having a dark sense of humor and a resolve that rivals steel. But the two still connect in a way that produces sparks. Like calls to like after all and, though Gibbs is tormented due to the tragedy he's suffered, that doesn't stop the two from circling each other.

Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks - The Special Agent hails from Texas and that's a fact about him that you won't be able to miss. Sporting cowboy boots and a mustache that Sam Elliott would respect, Franks takes pride in his roots. With a strong moral fiber, Franks leads his team in an unwavering quest to right wrongs and that includes doing what's necessary to ensure justice prevails.

Tyla Abercrumbie as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo - Described as "the lifeblood of the Camp Pendleton office," Mary Jo has been there long enough to know everything including where the bodies are buried. That's why she refers to herself as the HSIC aka the Head Secretary in Charge. She's fiercely protective of the unit she's in.

Diany Rodriguez as Special Agent Vera Strickland - NCIS fans know Vera from the season 11 episode "Under the Radar." She's Franks partner. The younger version of the character is just as "no-nonsense" and direct as you'd expect. The Brooklynite is tough as nails and she's not one to suffer fools, especially if they're ones she's labeled "misogynistic morons."

Caleb Martin Foote as Special Agent Benjamin “Randy” Randolf - As the resident golden boy, it's Randy's job to get Gibbs trained up. Thankfully, he's described as having immense patience because he's going to need it with the probie now placed under his wing. But, as the father of young twins, Randy is used to expecting the unexpected.

Daniel Bellomy as Special Agent Granville "Granny Dawson" - A fellow probie, Granny is the Evidence Custodian's assistant but what he really wants is to rise up in the ranks so he can be a field agent.

Robert Taylor as Jackson Gibbs - Adopting the role that the late great Ralph Waite played in the flagship, Taylor is stepping into the shoes of Gibbs' "hardnosed father." How the two are working through--or not--the loss Gibbs has suffered should be a very interesting part of the prequel.

Patrick Fischler as Special Agent in Charge Cliff Walker - The Pendleton office is no more than a fledgling NIS unit which is why its often getting pushed around. Walker, however, is determined to earn the Pendleton branch of the agency the respect it deserves even if it puts his career in jeopardy.

Julian Black Antelope as Chief Medical Examiner Kai Blackrock - The M.E. is one of the best in his field and he works out of the San Diego County office. Thought of as "unflappable," Blackrock's ties to the NIS presents vulnerabilities that he'll have to face whether he wants to or not.

Lori Petty as Dr. Lenora Friedman - With a passion for her job and a comfort with the dead, Lenora has an infectious personality. She's the "seasoned" pathologist at the San Diego M.E.'s office.

Bobby Moynihan as Woodrow "Woody" Browne - Woody is a senior chemist and director of the NIS Forensic Lab with far too much on his plate. But, even when he's severely lacking in sleep, he finds a way to bring his "offbeat sense of humor" forward to keep the workplace lively.

An official trailer for NCIS: Origins has yet to release but to get a feel for the cast, check out CBS' Conversations Between Stars focused on the actors from the prequel and the flagship.

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