5 Years Later, an NCIS Fan-Favorite Is Officially Back

Image via CBS Published Oct 20, 2026, 5:44 PM EDT Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys. Sign in to your Collider account This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.2026 has been the year of reunions for NCIS, though no show has felt that more than the prequel series, NCIS: Origins. Season 3 brought the flagship's longtime lead, Mark Harmon, back in front of the camera as Leroy Jethro Gibbs for a season-long arc that sees the former head of the Major Case Response Team confronted by the ghosts of his past and finding his peaceful post-career existence shattered in an instant. To get to the bottom of who attacked him in the Alaskan wilderness, Gibbs has been retracing his steps and reuniting with people in his past for help. In tonight's episode, that will include Michael Weatherly, who's now NCIS director and could use his connections to get what his ex-boss and mentor needs. Tony DiNozzo isn't the only agent re-entering his life, though. Ahead of Weatherly and Harmon's reunion tonight, the prequel series has confirmed that Emily Wickersham will return in a guest appearance as Ellie Bishop. Like Weatherly, she'll show up in multiple episodes in Season 3, starting with Episode 4, "Shimmy Shimmy Ya," on October 27. This will mark her first appearance on Origins and her latest return to the NCIS-verse after popping up in the mothership series back in March as it crossed the milestone of 500 episodes. Release Date October 14, 2024 Network CBS Directors Niels Arden Oplev, John Terlesky, Diana Valentine, Edward Ornelas, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Lionel Coleman, Loren Yaconelli, Pete Chatmon, Pamela Romanowsky, Ruben Garcia, Jessica Lowrey Cast Kyle Schmid Special Agent Mike Franks Writers Brendan Fehily Creator(s) Gina Lucita Monreal, David J. North