Everything So Far About the Historical Spin-Off: Premiere Episode Hint (Aug 2024)

NCIS will soon launch its twenty-second season, and unlike Law & Order: SVU, none of this procedural’s starting team remains. However, fans will be pleased to know that Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly are set to return for the NCIS: Tony & Ziva spin-off. Additionally, audiences can expect more insights into Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ history, including a significant formative tragedy. However, let’s set that aside for now.

It’s important to remember that NCIS originally began as a spin-off to JAG, serving as a springboard for characters like Mark Harmon’s Gibbs and Donald “Ducky” Mallard. Sadly, actor David McCallum passed away a few years back, and Mark Harmon left NCIS during Season 19. Still, fans hold a special place in their hearts for the enigmatic Gibbs, whose complicated past was partially revealed through flashbacks featuring Mark Harmon’s real-life son, Sean Harmon, as a younger version of the character. The upcoming spin-off, NCIS: Origins, will feature a different actor as young Gibbs. Both Mark and Sean Harmon will take on producing duties for the new series. The franchise aims for a character-based approach right from the start, steering away from geographically-based titles.

TV Line has released exclusive photos of Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Kyle Schmid as Special Agent Mike Franks, a character previously portrayed by Muse Watson in NCIS. Although Stowell doesn’t exactly resemble a young Mark Harmon, he captures the “younger Gibbs vibe” convincingly.

NCIS: Origins is set to begin in 1991, more than a decade before Gibbs’ later career colleagues like Ziva, Tony, and Abby come into play. Viewers will already be familiar with the tragic death of Gibbs’ wife and daughter, for which he took vengeance, as well as his strained relationship with his father, first revealed in the “Heartland” episode of NCIS. The new series promises to offer more depth into why Gibbs keeps things close to the chest in his later years. The title of the first episode has been revealed as “Enter Sandman.”

According to Screenrant, this title is likely a reference to Gibbs’ time during Operation Desert Storm. Fans may even discover that Gibbs listened to Metallica during this period. Interestingly, a Season 7 episode of NCIS featured a character named Navy Captain James “Sandman” Powell, though this is likely a coincidence. The focus will likely be on Gibbs’ tours as a Marine sniper.

There’s also the possibility that viewers might meet a younger version of Ducky. It would indeed be a missed opportunity to exclude him since NCIS revealed that Ducky and Gibbs first met in 1980. However, this dynamic hasn’t been confirmed for the first season of Origins. On the other hand, the character of Special Agent Mike Franks, played by Kyle Schmid, is confirmed to be a regular presence. Schmid recently spoke with TV Insider about the spin-off’s “edgier” tone:

“I think 1991 in Los Angeles is a very poignant point in history with a lot that happened. We’re going to be able to explore all of that with phenomenal directing. I think with a younger and edgier cast, it will make for an edgier show in the process. This is super exciting because we have phenomenal actors who really get to dig into this stuff that I’m hoping will blow the doors wide open.”

The CBS description of the show indicates that we’ll meet Gibbs as a new special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office. He will join a “gritty, ragtag team” with Franks in charge. CBS has kept a tight lid on further specifics, but fans won’t have to wait much longer to see different facets of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

NCIS: Origins is set to premiere on October 14, with a full season already ordered. The teaser trailer does a commendable job of featuring the older Gibbs, presumably fishing in Alaska, while giving a tantalizing hint of what’s to come.

Source: TV Line, Screenrant, TV Insider