Mark Harmon Returns To ‘NCIS: Origins’ For Season 3 In First-Look Photos: “Mark Was Excited To Give Fans What They Wanted”

EXCLUSIVE: CBS‘ NCIS: Origins Season 3 will see the return of Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs for a season-long arc beginning with the show’s premiere on Tuesday, October 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, and we have first-look photos of his return above and below. In addition to the photos, showrunner and executive producer David J. North answers a few questions about what viewers can expect from the new season and Harmon’s big return. Fans will reunite with Gibbs in the premiere episode titled “Don’t You Forget About Me.” Set in the present day, ghosts from the past of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) finally catch up to him, shattering his peaceful retirement in Alaska. In 1992, the team races to rescue a kidnapped Randy (Caleb Foote) while Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and Lala (Mariel Molino) deal with the aftermath of their kiss. “Don’t You Forget About Me” Robert Voets/CBS DEADLINE: Mark Harmon returning for a season-long arc was not something anyone thought possible. How did this all come together, and was this part of your plan all along? Watch on Deadline DAVID J. NORTH: Mark and I had been talking for a while about how exciting it would be for the fans for Gibbs to return. It had been almost six years, and we both really loved the idea that he had settled in Alaska, that he was happy, that he had this new rescue dog. But at the same time, Mark was excited to give the fans what they wanted. So, I pitched him an idea, he responded to it, and then we were off and running. We’re really excited for you guys to see what we have cooking this season. DEADLINE: Mark is coming back as part of a present-day mystery. Can you set up what that will look like and how you will handle the different timelines this season? NORTH: When we first see Gibbs in the season premiere, he is still in Alaska with his trusted rescue dog but soon finds that the peace he found there isn’t going to be easy to hold on to. Ghosts from his past are catching up to him, and it may be enough to pull him out of retirement. Over the course of the season, we’ll discover that what’s happening in present day is directly tied to events that occurred during his ‘90s Camp Pendleton days. DEADLINE: Mark is narrator and EP of the show, but did he require any convincing to stick around for a whole season? NORTH: Honestly, no. Mark is such a huge supporter of the show and was happy to do it. Mark Harmon as Gibbs Robert Voets/CBS DEADLINE: Could we expect to see any other NCIS legends as part of this mystery or potential crossovers? NORTH: I’d say it’s a definite possibility… DEADLINE: What can you tease about what’s ahead for the characters in the show’s regular timeline? NORTH: The Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and Lala (Mariel Molino) relationship is a huge part of season 3. They just had that big kiss at the end of last season, but their feelings for each other are complicated. So there’s a lot to unpack there. In addition to interesting cases, we always want to make sure we’re telling really compelling stories about our characters. We want our audience to continue to fall in love with them. They’re like a family – they might fight and disagree, but at the end of the day, they’ve always got each other’s backs. We are really leaning heavily into the ‘90s nostalgia this season. We built a Blockbuster Video for a few scenes, and I think it will bring back a lot of fond memories for people. It definitely has for our cast and crew. We also have awesome character stories and action sequences along with some great clue trails for people to follow. It’s gonna be a lot of fun this season. DEADLINE: Would you consider killing off Gibbs by the end of the season? NORTH: You’ll just have to wait and see. NCIS does have a history of doing that sort of thing. But this character means as much to me as he does to you, so I’m rooting for him.