By Maxine Bass
NCIS: Origins takes viewers back to the early 1990s as Gibbs begins his crime-fighting career
When NCIS debuted in the fall of 2003, few would have predicted that a series about a team of U.S. Navy investigators — a spinoff of JAG, which focused on Navy lawyers — would become one of the biggest shows in television history, running for 22 seasons (and counting) while spawning several hit spinoffs.
Clearly, the franchise has amassed an enormous fanbase, which did not go unnoticed by Sean Harmon, son of NCIS star Mark Harmon, who originated the role of top cop Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
Sean, in fact, has portrayed a younger version of his dad’s character in some NCIS flashback episodes, which led him to develop this new spinoff focusing on Gibbs’ early years. The result is NCIS: Origins, set in 1991 and focusing on the genesis of Gibbs’ investigative career.
Approaching the younger version of the character his dad portrayed for two decades, Harmon realized that “the man you all know from the mothership series is essentially a guy who’s had 30 years to kind of come to terms with some serious trauma. But that guy in the middle, I think personally is a very, very interesting character. It’s a guy with none of the answers and all of the trauma.”
Harmon, however, was not keen to reprise the role, preferring to remain in an exec-producing capacity and pass it on to another actor: Austin Stowell, of Bridge of Spies fame.
“This is a Gibbs that is dealing with the loss of his wife and child,” Stowell says, explaining his take on the character. “This is not the Gibbs that you know, that the world knows right now, that’s the team leader who’s always so put together. This is somebody who’s broken. This is somebody who’s searching for his identity, trying to find himself and ground himself back in the world.”
While Mark Harmon won’t be seen in NCIS: Origins, he will be heard, serving as narrator, offering context to the adventures of young Gibbs.
“I’m fine with the step back to let this cast do their work,” the elder Harmon says of his voiceover duties.
Of course, the original NCIS might be a monster hit now, but struggled in its early years. “It took awhile,” says Mark. “People think this show jumped off. It didn’t. And I’m thankful always to CBS that was in third place and really didn’t have much more to put on. Because I think on other networks, we might’ve been gone.”
Given what’s taken place since, there’s no question that viewers will be curious enough to tune in; the real test, of course, will be ensuring they keep watching.
That’s the responsibility born by showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, longtime writers on the original NCIS who will be steering the ship. In that respect, they’re highly conscious of ensuring the new show is its own unique entity, while still delivering the essential ingredients that fans expect.
“Origins is distinct from any of the other shows [in] the franchise, but what makes NCIS so special is still there, with the characters and the humour,” North notes.
Meanwhile, star Stowell is quick to point out how privileged he’s been to land such an iconic role. “I can’t help but feel like Lou Gehrig at the end of his career, when he was about to be taken off the field,” the actor muses. “And he stood there among his teammates, throwing the thanks towards them, towards his wife, towards everyone around him, that he felt like the luckiest man in the world. That’s how I feel sitting here . . . just absolutely the greatest pleasure in my life.”
NCIS: Origins airs Monday, October 21 on Global & CBS