The project comes from the two actors who portrayed Gibbs on NCIS, Mark Harmon and his son Sean Harmon, from veteran NCIS writers Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North, and from CBS Studios, which is behind the NCIS franchise.
Narrated by Mark Harmon, NCIS: Origins begins in 1991, years before the events of NCIS. In the new series, Gibbs begins his career as a rookie special agent in the fledgling NCIS office at Camp Pendleton, where he earns his place on a tough team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks. In the main series, Franks was a recurring character, played by Muse Watson. Franks was fatally stabbed in season eight, but continued to show up for Gibbs when he needed a sounding board on difficult matters.
The idea to explore Gibbs' early years came from Sean Harmon, who played the younger version of Mark Harmon's character on NCIS in seven episodes from 2008-2020. Along with his father, who starred as Gibbs on NCIS for more than 18 seasons, Harmon approached Monreal, North and CBS Studios to expand the NCIS universe with an offshoot centered on Gibbs.
Sean Harmon will focus on executive production duties for the new series alongside Mark Harmon, who will continue to produce the flagship NCIS, and Monreal and North, who will co-write the premiere episode and serve as co-showrunners. North will also remain executive producer and co-showrunner (with Steven D Binder) of NCIS. An actor is being sought for the lead role in the spin-off.
“The character of Gibbs has been an important part of my life for 20 years, both in watching my father craft the role and previously having the honor to play young Gibbs myself,” Sean Harmon said. “I always felt there was a tale worth telling about his earlier years, so I am thrilled to be stepping into a producing role alongside Gina, David and my dad as we tell this story and reveal a new side of this beloved character.”
Monreal and North, who said they are “thrilled to be bringing this new chapter to life along with Mark and Sean Harmon,” teased more revelations in the new series.
“This really is the making of Leroy Jethro Gibbs,” the duo said. “And even the most dedicated NCIS fans will discover that they don’t know the whole story.”
NCIS: Origins is taking a route that proved successful for another flagship CBS series, comedy The Big Bang Theory, which spawned a successful prequel, Young Sheldon, about the early years of one of the lead characters.
“We are elated and honored to continue the expansion of the NCIS universe in such a unique and unexpected way,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “Viewers can look forward to Mark Harmon returning to CBS to narrate the complex and mysterious backstory of Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ early years in NCIS: Origins, which will build on the rich legacy of this character while reintroducing fan-favorite characters and meeting new ones.”
This is CBS's fourth new scripted series for the 2024-25 season, joining the dramas Matlock (2023) and Watson and the comedy Poppa's House.
NCIS is one of CBS Studios' most valuable franchises. After 21 seasons - currently the third-longest running primetime drama in the US - the series remains the most-watched non-sports program on television. NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Hawaii, which is in its fourth season, have spawned three spin-offs in the US. The franchise recently went international with its first non-American offshoot, NCIS: Sydney, which has also done very well in the US. Used by CBS on its strike-affected fall schedule, it ranks as the most-watched new series of the 2023-24 season to date.
According to Nielsen and internal data, the NCIS franchise had more than 300 million viewers worldwide during the 2022-2023 season across all platforms including broadcast, cable, streaming and syndication.
“There’s no denying the cultural and global phenomenon of the NCIS franchise for the last 20 years,” said David Stapf, president of CBS Studios. “When Sean and Mark approached us all with this exciting expansion of the universe – exploring a young Gibbs – we knew it was the next story that needed to be told. We also couldn’t be luckier to have Gina and David at the helm as co-showrunners who are not only brilliant and adept writers but know this character and universe so well.”
NCIS: Origins reunites North and Monreal, who both wrote on NCIS for 10 years. Monreal, who left the CBS series a couple of years ago, has recently worked on Netflix’s Griselda, Star Wars: The Bad Batch and the upcoming Dan Fogleman/Sterling K. Brown project for Hulu.
Casting for the spin-off is being handled by NCIS casting directors Jason Kennedy, Krysti Baxter and Meredith Goble.
