‘NCIS’: Mark Harmon Reveals What Gibbs Is Doing in Alaska Now
What To Know
- Mark Harmon and former NCIS special agent and technical advisor Leon Carroll Jr. joined the NCIS: Partners & Probies podcast for the May 5 episode.
- Harmon addresses where he thinks Gibbs is now — and what’s going on with the dog.
The newest episode of NCIS: Partners & Probies, the podcast hosted by Brian Dietzen and Diona Reasonover, featured Mark Harmon, who starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs for 19 seasons in NCIS and now narrates the prequel every week (and executive produces both NCIS and Origins). Also guesting was former NCIS special agent and series technical advisor Leon Carroll Jr. (Director Leon Vance, played by Rocky Carroll, was named after him). Unsurprisingly, when it came time for fan questions, what Gibbs is currently up to in Alaska came up — as well as the name of Gibbs’ canine companion.
“Dog?” Harmon suggested on the podcast. “Yeah, I don’t know the name. I just know he’s got a friend sometimes. Maybe the dog goes back in the evening somewhere else or I think he’d be all in for letting that happen. I don’t know.”
Harmon exited NCIS near the beginning of Season 19, at which point Gibbs stayed in Alaska. Harmon has since appeared onscreen twice on NCIS: Origins, with Gibbs still in Alaska. In the crossover between the two shows, it was revealed that Gibbs is not alone — because he now has a dog spending, based on what Harmon said on Partners & Probies, some time with him.
Origins executive producer David J. North told TV Insider in November 2025 that bringing in that dog came about because both he and Harmon are “dog obsessed.” North adds, “[Executive producer] Gina [Lucita Monreal] and I talked and we thought it’d be a cool thing and we knew Mark would enjoy it, and sort of the notion of where did that dog come from and out in the middle of nowhere and we liked the idea of Gibbs not being alone as we continue to learn more about his story.”
For Harmon, Gibbs is “very comfortable on his own” and settled in Alaska, the star told TV Insider ahead of that crossover. “He probably has more challenges being around lots of people than he does being alone, but he’s not alone anymore, right? So that part was intriguing. This is an idea David and Gina had, and it was like, oh, that’s cool. I’m trying to help them.”
He continued, “It’s why the voiceover thing was something that they pitched from the beginning in the idea of this show, and it keeps me physically involved. It’s something I do like every 10 days, I go in and do however many loops we have or shows we have to do. And that narrative has been fun to try to get behind and understand things that were just during the course of the show presented weekly that you just took as being true and move forward. But now maybe you get a chance now to understand a little more or to find a little more, or even show how it was developed because you’re a number of years advanced to what we’ve already shown audiences. And that’s been an interesting process for me from the beginning, sitting in that room and watching actors come through the door to play people that you knew later in their lives. So it’s all been new, and that’s pretty interesting on a show that’s 20 years old.”
In general, when it comes to NCIS: Origins, he takes a backseat, Harmon said on the NCIS: Partners & Probies podcast. “I wait to be asked. I’m not gonna dive in there and say anything unless you ask me. And you’d be surprised how many people don’t ask, right? And that’s OK, too. It’s a different way of doing it. Not the way I did it, but that doesn’t make it right. Part of this is being surrounded by talented people and allowing them to do their job individually and trusting that,” he explained, praising North, who, before Origins, worked on NCIS.
In fact, Harmon noted how North became a writer on the mothership. “He was smart enough at the time to say, ‘I’m seeing all these people around me get fired and there are no complete scripts.’ And so in his free time, which he had very little of, he wrote a script,” he shared, with Carroll naming the exact one, “Bikini Wax,” Season 2 Episode 18.
“For us on set, that was the first full episode we’d seen at one time since the pilot,” Harmon added, a fact that Dietzen didn’t realize, though he did know it was North’s first.
What do you think Gibbs is up to in Alaska? Let us know in the comments section below.
NCIS, Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS
NCIS: Origins, Season 2 Finale, Tuesday, May 5, 9/8c, CBS
Conversation37 Comments
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B
I didn’t mention Ziva but she became a big part of the show. When she went back to Israel, it was almost like a friend died. The episode where they brought her back was one of my favorites. And they couldn’t have cast Anthony’s father better than Robert Wagner. They even resemble each other, so very believable. I’ve followed Wagner’s career since watching him on the movie about John Phillips Sousa even though I didn’t know who he was the first time I saw it.
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F
I love hearing Gibbs in origins it makes sense and think its him doing a self therapy by maybe Journaling telling us some of thise cases that made him him and some of the 90s while he is taking care for the dog I mean thats why he had to somewhat "leave" the original ncis, although my husband would say every week he just wants Gibbs back on the original series.(cast for both are amazing fits.)
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B
I never cared for most of the parts Mark Harmon chose to play but I love Gibbs. He is as I remember my daddy. He has a moral code that he follows. He is dependable. If you are family, you know he has your back. The chemistry between the actors is phenomenal. The brother/sister bickering between Tony, McGee and Kate with Gibbs as the father/boss was very entertaining. All the characters from Mike Franks, Jenny, Leroy Vance and of course Ducky had a history. I loved the reference to David McCallums “illya kurgrockin”. Priceless! I miss him, too.
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N
I don't know what is going to happen with Gibbs and Lala, but it would be cool if they end up together in Alaska.
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D
I love both shows and often watch earlier episodes. I would love to think that Gibbs meets LaLa somehow in the future. I feel like they were always meant to be after he lost his wife and daughter.
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S
NCIS, and Origins is our date night. They are the only 2 shows on TV that we both love. So now we have to wait until fall for another date night. It's going to be a long lonely summer. Wish I was in Alaska with Gibbs. I wonder if he is building another boat. Just a little dory to go fishing in the lake. 😉
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S
I'm hoping he ends up living in Alaska with Lala.
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V
You ask what Gibbs is doing in Alaska ... I imagine that Dog shows up one day with a piece of wood that floats when Gibbs throws it into the river for Dog to fetch. Obviously Gibbs takes that to mean he should build a boat for him and Dog to go on adventures ... hunting, fishing, finding bodies, witnessing crimes to solve, etc.
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F
Recently saw Mark Harmon on an early episode of Adam-12. For you youngsters, look it up.
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V
I believe right now he is back. I believe he is the one that shot Mr. Roger's last espisode. I believe he was contacted by the new leader to take him out. He is back in Alaska now.
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D
That was my first thlight...because whoelse could make that shot from that distance...as they all looked at eachother! Loved it!!❣️😬
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I
And Parker having salmon from Alaska
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P
I had just told my pug, Zanna "Aldon needs to call Gibbs" right before the announcement was made that Roger's had been shot! and when the 'Salmon from Alaska' was shown, I knew someone had finally listened to me!!! 😆 🤣 😂
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G
I kind of guessed it might be him just because of the distance of the shot, but it wasn't until Parker said the salmon was fresh from Alaska, that I knew for sure. Parker disabled the car, and Gibbs took the shot - they did it together.
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L
What do I think Gibbs is doing in Alaska? Fishing and helping anywhere he can. No commitments, but time to reflect, and enjoy his life.
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G
I think Gibbs should pop in from time to time like Mike Frank's did in the earlier episodes
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W
I think he's hunting and fishing among other things.
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S
I would assume, building a boat! Lol
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U
Apparently Gibbs returned to DC and brought Parker fresh salmon at the same time a highly skilled sniper took out a traitor before he could disappear into the witness protection program. Coincidence?
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M
I think he just made a behind-the-scenes appearance in Origins. 😁 Sniper and all that...
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J
I like to think Gibbs is writing his life story narrating it to dog as he writes which in turns gives us ncis:origins. I love that mark is still apart of the ncis family yet he isn't on screen anymore. The first episode of orgins when I heard his voice it sent chills done my back. Tho the latest episode of ncis makes me wonder if Gibbs was the sniper to take out the prisoner when the car "broke down"
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W
Come back as director of NCIS
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P
Really wish Fornell would show up on Gibbs sofa uninvited as usual and they could become P.I. in Alaska, they are so very great together, PLEASE, we need Gibbs back, NCIS is not good without him and should be replaced with this NEW scrip, it could really be FUNNY!
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E
Fishing, building boats and cooking over an open fire.
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K
Based on this week's NCIS show, he was practicing sniper shooting and bringing fresh salmon to a friend.
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W
Gibbs should come back as director of noise
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L
Since we know Gibbs isn’t in a relationship for 20yrs on NCIS,
I hope he is reunited with Lala in Alaska♥️🙏🏼
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M
I don’t care and I don’t miss him, but I love his sniper effort on NCIS for Parker.
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J
Maybe Gibbs is making beer commercials or teaching summer school in a Hawaiian shirt and wearing flip flops 😆
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J
Gibbs is combat fishing for salmon in a river somewhere 😆
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J
I think Gibbs and dog go fishing. I also think there is a redhead involved!
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J
Don't like ncis origins because through the show ncis it would tell the history of ncis origin
that happened to the characters in the past season.
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S
While I love the original, I have never watched a single minute of the prequel. Also, while I understand.the need for the dog as a companion, and not knowing the whole story behind the issues that led to the departure of Pauly perrette, this is a very bad precedent to set because while it may be innocent, it also looks like an apparent dig at her for voicing her complaints about dogs in the workplace. Lol
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P
You admit you've never watched a show, then proceed to make an extremely Ignorant comment about it! I loved the character of Abby, and was sad when she left, then after finally hearing the reason, I was and still am profoundly disappointed in Ms Perrette. She played the part of a genuine dog lover so believably, I mistakenly attributed the actor with that positive trait in my mind. When seeing her in that role now while watching past episodes, the character no longer rings true to me. Dogs, unlike humans are incapable of evil thoughts or deeds, they can be mischievous, even ornery at times, but at their very core, they are pure love and devotion, any aggression ever shown is either taught or provoked by a Human or Humans. Her overreaction to Mark Harmons dog was either in retaliation to Harmon or for her own attention, either way, the dog was an innocent tool!
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R
The not Abby character sux. I don't care how many fake black girl magic powers they give her, she'll never be Abby. Last week's episode had her being more of a computer geek than McGee which shouldn't be possible in the NCIS universe. And they better not make McGee the next director either. He's a character that should have been killed off after three episodes. Nobody from the original JAG crossover or first episodes are there.
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P
You're just further proof that "You Can't Fix STUPID!" Have you even watched a full episode? In the world if nonsense, your comments win todays prize!
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B
I never cared for Gibbs. Too acerbic, moody, grumpy, and downright unlikable. Glad to see him go.
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