NCIS: Origins has introduced younger versions of key characters from the Mark Harmon series — but are there plans for more surprise appearances?
“I don’t want to give anything away with that,” showrunner David J. North told TV Insider on Tuesday, December 24, before specifically referencing Lucas Dixon’s cameo as Fornell earlier in the season. “We really wanted to keep it secret about young Fornell appearing. I think it was better that we did that.”
NCIS: Origins fans likely won’t know ahead of time whether a familiar character would be popping up.
“People were really, really surprised. But I definitely saw on the internet there was a lot of talk after episode 6,” North recalled. “So we want to hold those, keep those close to the vest.”
North went on to explain why Fornell crossed paths with Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and Franks (Kyle Schmid) so early in their journey, adding, “My coshowrunner Gina [Lucita Monreal] and I both really think it’s poetic that Fornell appeared in the pilot of what was then Navy NCIS and to bring him in early I think was a really a no-brainer.”
He continued: “We would love to see Young Fornell come back. And stay tuned. That might be happening sooner rather than later.”
NCIS: Origins, which premiered in October, follows a young Gibbs — a role originated by Mark Harmon — years prior to the events of NCIS. The new series picks up less than a year after Gibbs’ wife and daughter were killed. During season 1, Gibbs starts a new job as a special agent at the NIS Camp Pendleton office while still dealing with the aftermath of losing his family.
Harmon made his NCIS debut as Gibbs in 2003 and played the lead role for 18 years. His final appearance aired in late 2021, and Harmon hasn’t returned to the flagship show since. He did, however, sign on to be the narrator for the prequel series and has served as an executive producer on the project alongside his eldest son, Sean Harmon.
“It’s a daunting task to recreate Gibbs and to go back and try to tell this story while being respectful to the fans and to the story line of the original show,” Stowell exclusively told Us Weekly in November. “We want to do our best job as actors, as artists, as writers and storytellers. While there could be a lot of pressure, Mark Harmon makes us feel so comfortable and he makes us feel justified in our decisions.”
The actor revealed that it didn’t take long for Harmon to share his opinion about Stowell’s performance.
“He gave it to me right away in the room,” Stowell quipped. “He was vocal about — maybe not what to do — but certainly [he was] guiding me more in terms of posture and mindset, things that I’ve learned to inhabit all the more over time.”
Harmon, however, has “never given” Stowell any notes on his acting. “He leads by example. He’s a guy who I’ve learned a lot more about being a human being than being Gibbs,” Stowell continued. “He’s been so welcoming — not just to me and not just to the rest of the cast, but the whole crew. He’s really such a wonderful leader for us because he makes everybody feel so comfortable.”
While speaking with Us, Stowell broke down his approach to playing Gibbs.
“Mark Harmon created this character that the world fell in love with. He did that for 20 years. I would be a fool not to try to take some of what he did and bring it to this version of Gibbs. But it would’ve been a mistake just to try to do an imitation of who he is as an actor and as a man that it just didn’t appeal to me to do that,” he explained. “I had to pluck out what mannerisms were going to be innate because there are certain body movements and just the way that Mark speaks. There’s a certain pacing and volume to his speaking that is so unique to who he is. I certainly tried to inhabit some of those.”
Stowell continued: “But it was more interesting to me what characteristics and what behaviors were going to be learned by Gibbs over the years. So that will be so much fun to allow those behaviors to blossom and allow the fans to see them come to life.”
NCIS: Origins airs on CBS Mondays at 10 p.m. ET and is currently streaming on Paramount+.
