‘NCIS’ Fans Cheer as CBS Confirms Beloved Character to Return Full-Time to Prequel Series ‘Origins’
Gibbs is back!
On Tuesday, CBS announced that Mark Harmon would return to the NCISverse in season 3 of NCIS prequel series NCIS: Origins. Harmon will reprise his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the character he played on the first 18 seasons of the popular procedural.
Gibbs will appear in all 10 episodes of NCIS: Origins Season 3 as part of a present-day, season-long mystery tied to his days at Camp Pendleton in the 1990s. Details about that action-packed mystery haven’t been revealed, but Origins cast member Mariel Molino hinted that it might tie in to Gibbs’ decision to move to America’s 49th state after he left NCIS early on in season 19.
“I hear Alaska’s nice this time of year…,” she commented on Instagram.
Harmon, who serves as executive producer on NCIS: Origins, also narrates each episode. He previously appeared onscreen as Gibbs in the NCIS: Origins series premiere and also made a special guest appearance during the first crossover event between NCIS and NCIS: Origins in November 2025. Austin Stowell plays a young Gibbs in NCIS: Origins.
NCIS fans were thrilled to learn of Harmon’s return.
“This is gonna be good, frankly I’m quite scared but very happy to see Gibbs and baby Gibbs again,” one person wrote on Instagram.
“OMG! This cant be real, please God it is,” someone else wrote.
“Cannot wait,” another fan declared. “So happy to have him back on screen. Best news ever.”
Season three of NCIS: Origins will air Tuesdays at 10 p.m., ET/PT this fall on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
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