CBS is adding a new NCIS series to the mix, with a twist. This one will explore Gibbs’ early years and be narrated by flagship series star Mark Harmon, who also executive produces alongside, Sean Harmon, Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North.
‘NCIS: Origins‘ begins in 1991, years before the events of NCIS and follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, narrated by Mark Harmon. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks.
“We are elated and honoured 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-favourite characters and meeting new ones.”
No news yet on who will be cast as the young Gibbs, although Sean Harmon, Mark’s son, has played the role previously on the main show. Sean actually came up with the idea for the series, which is why he is exec producing alongside his dad.
“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 honour to play young Gibbs myself,” adds executive producer Sean Harmon. “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.”
At the moment, we have no idea where this will land in the UK. the NCIS series have been somewhat scattered across UK broadcasters, with Sky, Disney+ and Paramount+ having various spin-offs over the years. We’ll let you know if we hear something concrete on a broadcaster in due course.
“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.”
The series will reunite David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal as co-writers and co-showrunners, who both wrote on NCIS for 10 years. North is currently co-showrunner and executive producer on NCIS. In addition to NCIS, Monreal’s credits include Netflix’s “Griselda,” “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” and the upcoming Dan Fogleman/Sterling K. Brown project for Hulu.
NCIS is the world’s most successful television franchise, and it is estimated that in the 2022-2023 TV season the franchise had over 300 million viewers around the world across all platforms including broadcast, cable, streaming and syndication (according to Nielsen and internal data).
‘NCIS: Origins‘ Season 1 does not yet have a premiere date but is being lined up for the 2024/25 season on CBS in the USA. We don’t have a UK premiere date. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
