Kyle Schmid Says Mark Harmon’s ‘NCIS: Origins’ Return for Crossover ‘Elevates’ the Show

The upcoming NCIS and NCIS: Origins crossover brings Mark Harmon back onscreen as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, though his presence remains a constant part of the prequel. He serves as an executive producer and the narrator, with his voiceover bookending episodes.

But in the November 11 event, Harmon will be reprising his role with a special guest appearance in the Origins half of the crossover. It’s on the spinoff that he was last seen onscreen as well. He exited NCIS as a series regular (and remains an executive producer) in Season 19, with his character last seen in Alaska. Then, in Origins‘ series premiere, he appeared onscreen.

“I can’t tell you how much I love Mark. Mark has been doing this for 20 some odd years, and he saw something in our show that he wanted to believe in. And when you want to believe in something, it can be dangerous because you don’t know what it’s going to become. And thank God for [co-showrunners] David [J. North] and Gina [Lucita Monreal],” Kyle Schmid, who stars as Mike Franks on NCIS: Origins, tells TV Insider.

“I’m always going to toot their horn, but thank God for David and Gina because they really did create something that Mark was able to genuinely fall in love with,” he continues. “And so when Mark said he’d come back to do Episode 5, we were all over the moon. His presence does something to the show that just, I think elevates it. And so I’m excited for that.”

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The crossover event begins on Origins, with the show swapping time slots for the night. The NIS team, which includes a younger Gibbs (Austin Stowell), investigates the small-town death of a naval officer in the ’90s. Then, in the present-day, on NCIS, the case is re-opened after a prison break.

“Four years ago, Gibbs disappeared to Alaska to live a life of solitude,” said co-showrunners and executive producers David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, in a statement when Harmon’s return was announced on October 28. “We know how much fans have missed seeing Mark and have wondered what Gibbs is up to today. Well, on Nov. 11, we’re so excited to announce that Mark Harmon will return as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the Origins hour of the NCIS crossover event. We don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say Gibbs is no longer alone.”

Said Harmon, “I’m very proud of the storytelling that David and Gina are doing on Origins. They continue to push boundaries and dive deeper into the characters’ backstories. They came to me with an idea for Gibbs that I liked, and it seemed like a good time to check in with him. I hope fans enjoy it.”

What are you hoping to see from Mark Harmon’s onscreen appearance? Let us know in the comments section below.

NCIS & NCIS: Origins Crossover, Tuesday, November 11, 8/7c, CBS