The first trailer for the highly anticipated crossover between NCIS and NCIS: Origins has finally arrived — and it delivers a moment fans have been waiting years to see: Mark Harmon back in the franchise.
The brief but powerful promo opens with FBI Special Agent Alden Parker, played by Gary Cole, announcing that a federal inmate has escaped prison. He then reveals the twist — the case connects to one of Gibbs’ very first investigations. As he speaks, the trailer seamlessly transitions from present-day Gibbs, portrayed by Harmon, to the younger version played by Austin Stowell — visually bridging past and present.
It’s the first major crossover event for NCIS: Origins, which debuted in October 2024, and another ambitious expansion of the long-running NCIS universe.
Mark Harmon’s Return — On Screen and Behind It
Although Harmon stepped away from his full-time on-screen role in 2021, he has never truly left the franchise. He serves as narrator and executive producer on NCIS: Origins, and he previously made a brief appearance in the show’s premiere episode.
This crossover marks another meaningful return — proof that Gibbs’ story is far from over.
“Four years ago, Gibbs disappeared to Alaska to live a life of solitude,” co-showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal explained. “Fans have wondered what he’s been up to. On Nov. 11, Mark Harmon returns as Leroy Jethro Gibbs during the Origins hour of the crossover event — and let’s just say, Gibbs is no longer alone.”
Harmon himself shared his enthusiasm, praising the creative direction of the prequel series and revealing that the new story idea felt like the right time to revisit the character.
A Mystery Across Decades
NCIS: Origins explores Gibbs’ early days at the Pendleton branch of the Naval Investigative Service in the 1990s. The crossover storyline connects a present-day prison escape to the death of a naval officer decades earlier — a case that forces both timelines to collide.
To accommodate the event, CBS will air NCIS: Origins at 8 p.m. ET/PT, followed by NCIS at 9 p.m. ET/PT, creating a two-hour narrative arc that spans generations.
For longtime viewers, the trailer delivers something powerful: not just nostalgia, but confirmation that Gibbs remains a vital thread in the evolving NC