‘NCIS: Origins’ Will Be ‘Edgier and Grittier’ Than Other ‘NCIS’ Shows

CBS is exploring the early years of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in its latest NCIS spinoff. But NCIS: Origins won’t look like other shows in the franchise. The new show will be “edgier and grittier,” a CBS executive recently said. 

‘NCIS: Origins’ will be ‘really different’ from other ‘NCIS’ shows 

NCIS: Origins will explore Gibbs’ “complex and mysterious backstory,” CBS entertainment president Amy Reisenbach said when the show was announced. 

Though NCIS: Origins will be the sixth in the NCIS franchise (after NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: Hawai’i, and NCIS: Sydney), it will have its own distinctive feel.    

“I think it’s been wonderful to have these franchise extensions; they’re each its own unique property,” Reisenbach told Deadline. “NCIS: Origins is really different than any of the other NCIS‘s; it makes me feel so old to say it’s period when it’s set in the ‘90s, kill me now, right?”

The new ‘NCIS’ spinoffs have their ‘own identity’

While it will be some time before NCIS: Origins airs (it’s currently expected to debut in the 2024-25 broadcast season), Reisenbach did tease what viewers can expect from the show. 

“It’s a little edgier and grittier than previous NCIS‘s, it’s got a serialized element of it that we’re really excited about,” she said. 

She went on to compare Origins to NCIS: Sydney, the franchise’s first international spinoff. 

“[W]hereas I would say NCIS: Sydney too really had its own identity, it was very uniquely Australian and told stories that can only be told in Australia, so I feel like they’re both opportunities to gain new audiences while also being true to the DNA and loyal fan base of those shows,” Reisenbach said. 

What is ‘NCIS: Origins’ about?

NCIS: Origins begins in 1991, years prior to the events seen in NCIS. It follows Gibbs as he begins his career as a new special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office. There, he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks. 

While no cast has been announced, original Gibbs actor Mark Harmon will return to narrate the new show, “which will build on the rich legacy of this character while reintroducing fan-favorite characters and meeting new ones,” Reisenbach said.  

“The character of Gibbs has been an important part of my life for 20 years, both in watching my father craft the role and previously having the honor to play young Gibbs myself,” said NCIS: Origins executive producer (and Mark Harmon’s son) Sean Harmon. “I always felt there was a tale worth telling about his earlier years, so I am thrilled to be stepping into a producing role alongside [executive producers and showrunners] Gina [Lucita Monreal], David [J. North] and my dad as we tell this story and reveal a new side of this beloved character.”

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