Mark Harmon to Appear on NCIS: Origins Premiere

Mark Harmon will be on hand to help introduce Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ backstory.

The actor, 73, who portrayed Gibbs on NCIS  from 2003 to 2021, will appear in the next installment of the crime-fighting franchise.

According to TVLine and Deadline, NCIS: Origins co-showrunner David J. North revealed during a panel discussion with reporters on Thursday, Sept. 19, that Harmon would briefly appear on the show’s Monday, Oct. 14 premiere, in addition to narrating the series and being one of its executive producers.

“That was a discussion between Mark, myself and [co-showrunner] Gina Monreal. I hope the audience will be excited to see him after so many years,” said North, per the outlets.

While North didn’t reveal any additional details about Harmon’s on-screen appearance, he didn’t rule out the possibility of having Harmon appear in future episodes. “We are focusing on him telling the story of 1991. As far as Mark appearing again, we are open to anything,” North said.

A synopsis for the new series explains that it follows a young Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991, years before the events of NCIS.

“In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office, where he forges his place on a gritty ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid),” the synopsis adds.

In a November 2023 conversation with PEOPLE, Harmon reflected on his tenure on the beloved show and expressed gratitude for its ability to allow him to have a work-life balance.

“It was important to be able to make pancakes on Saturday morning, And there were some times where that meant not sleeping,” he said. “You just came home and took a shower and came back down. And yet I look back at it and I don’t miss the sleep.”

“I still missed things. I was working, but I’ve been part of their lives,” he said.

While he admitted that there were some long days, he “worked 22 hours,” Harmon added, “I was able to make breakfast on the weekend. I’m not about to complain about any of it.”

NCIS: Origins premieres on Monday, Oct. 14 on CBS.