The 2024 TV schedule noticed Mark Harmon returning to the NCIS franchise by way of the Gibbs prequel sequence NCIS: Origins after he departed amid Season 19 of the Mothership sequence. Harmon joined the franchise as Leroy Jethro Gibbs very early on. He was even one among few to seem within the two-part backdoor pilot on JAG over 20 years in the past. As one of many franchise’s OGs, he is within the know on varied BTS tidbits of its conception. With that, Harmon simply shared what the unique idea for the present was, and it’s fairly completely different from the procedural that made it to air.
Contemplating NCIS has been airing for 22 seasons now and can proceed on the 2025 TV schedule, the present recipe is working nicely. The flagship sequence largely makes use of the case-of-the-week components that numerous reveals have carried out. Nonetheless, there are sometimes multi-episode arcs, private storylines. On that notice,, Harmon instructed The Hollywood Reporter that the Navy-set drama was initially set to observe a special format:
Once I first joined the present, a part of what they bought me on was that this was all going to be based mostly on actual instances. However fairly quickly, it settles into murder-a-week as a result of that’s tv, proper?
Numerous procedurals included episodes based mostly on true tales, with Legislation & Order being well-known for doing “ripped from the headlines” instances. And it’s greater than possible that NCIS has additionally taken a web page or two of out of the actual Navy’s e-book of instances, however the truth that all episodes have been going to be based mostly on actual conditions continues to be stunning. This most likely would have made the format and total storytelling considerably completely different from the leap as nicely. Why the producers determined to shift to the standard homicide/case-a-week format is unknown, but it surely’s laborious to argue with the outcomes.
The chosen storytelling method didn’t appear to cease Mark Harmon from remaining with the present for 19 years and later returning to the franchise to inform much more tales. Plus, he discovered a special avenue to push out these actual tales and to indicate folks what the Navy and NCIS actually are all about. It was introduced in 2023 that Harmon would launch a e-book impressed by the long-running dram sequence, with former NCIS agent and the present’s technical advisor, Leon Carroll, Jr. Titled Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, it facilities on the group’s early days. As Harmon defined:
The concept to do that e-book within the first place was: If we will inform the actual historical past of this company, then I’m , and I’m if Leon Carroll — whom I met 20 years in the past as a technical advisor on the present — is with me on this.
In brief, there are numerous tales that may be instructed by way of Mark Harmon’s e-book and the TV present he headlined for therefore a few years. Whether or not NCIS will depict extra real-life instances is unknown, however followers can actually stay up for that taking place with these books, with the newest one, Ghosts of Panama, exploring the U.S. invasion of Panama within the late ‘80s and the way the investigation of a homicide helped change historical past.
All of the whereas, the NCIS franchise is shifting proper alongside, with Season 22 of the father or mother sequence and Season 1 of NCIS: Origins persevering with within the new 12 months. In the meantime, Season 2 of the Sydney is about to hit the small display as nicely premiering, and there is additionally the brand new spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva that’ll be out there for Paramount+ subscription holders. This large IP might have began in a really completely different place creatively however, as a fan, I am loving the place it’s immediately.