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Key Points Mark Harmon returns as Gibbs for 'NCIS: Origins' and 'NCIS' crossover special event. The episodes connect Gibbs' early NIS case with a present-day prison break investigation. Harmon praises the creative idea and calls the crossover a tribute to veterans. Mark Harmon returns to NCIS: Origins to reprise his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the iconic TV character he played for 18 seasons on NCIS, when the two series team up for a special crossover event tonight. Harmon appears on Origins – which moves into the 8 p.m. timeslot for continuity — where he kicks off the story, which began back when he was an NIS probie at Camp Pendleton back in the ‘90s, and a naval officer mysteriously died in the small town of Serenity. But funnily enough, rather than being helpful to the NIS team, the townspeople harbor secrets, and the sheriff, too, is uncooperative. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Fast forward to the present day on NCIS, where a prison break by an inmate who had just three weeks left on a sentence compels the team to reopen the case of a naval officer’s death that was originally investigated by Gibbs and Franks in the ‘90s and enlist the help of retired special agent Vera Strickland (Roma Maffia). Harmon hasn’t played the role of Gibbs since a brief appearance in the pilot episode of NCIS: Origins, although he does narrate each episode. But he told Parade he’s back for tonight’s episode because co-showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North had an idea that was “interesting.” “David and Gina together came up with an idea that was fun and certainly somewhat surprising, and I just thought it was a good idea,” Harmon said. “I’ve enjoyed being part of the process with them over the last couple of years with Origins and trying to revisit all those things that I remember from the original when they first started, which was every bit as challenging and every bit as tough.” What we do learn in the episode is that Gibbs is in Alaska and he’s writing a journal of his memories of his time as an NIS agent at Camp Pendleton. What we don’t know is who he’s talking to when he pauses writing and says, “Over the years, the outside changes, but the inside will make you feel all the same things.” Related: Mark Harmon Set for Exciting Special Guest Appearance on NCIS: Origins Harmon said we’ll have to watch to find out. But he does reveal that what he’s enjoying watching on Origins is that for a character who never had much to say, he’s sharing a lot. “He’s a guy who never talked,” Harmon explained. “When we first started this, this character was developed as reactionary, that if he didn’t have to talk, he didn’t talk, he just did something. That was based on a real individual, and that’s a good creative process. Part of what drew me to the character in the first place was the fact that he wasn’t talking paragraphs upon paragraphs telling you how he felt. Some of that was left to the audience to figure out.” We also see that he’s found something in Alaska that was missing from his life in D.C. and he’s the most peaceful we’ve ever seen him. Related: NCIS: Origins’ Star Mariel Molino Weighs In on Gibbs and Lala’s Romance: ‘They’re Star-Crossed Lovers’ (Exclusive) “I don’t mean that like it’s flowers and roses and stuff,” he continued. “I mean he’s a physical guy that does better alone than he does maybe in relationships, but they define more than 20 years. And so, when David and Gina came with this idea, I thought it was clever and fun and an idea that certainly had a reason to make me think about the idea of doing this.” As for whether or not Harmon might also make a guest appearance on NCIS at some point, he won’t commit, but he is happy that the crossover special event is taking place on Veterans’ Day as a tribute to the men and women who have served. “Gibbs is a veteran,” Harmon said. “So, obviously, he’s always had that respect for the military and the country. You don’t do a job like his for 20 years and not love your country. So, I think part of that is what they’ve tried to depict in the character and also in the show.” Tonight only, NCIS: Origins will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, followed by NCIS at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Both stream the next day on Paramount+.
