Mark & ​​Sean Harmon and Prequel Showrunners on Darker 'NCIS Origins'

Paramount Global Content Distribution has landed in Cannes with a new one NCIS for international buyers, NCIS: Origins. Ahead of the event, Deadline spoke with the team behind it: Mark Harmon, the original Leroy Jethro Gibbs and executive producer of the new show, along with his son and fellow EP Sean Harmon and co-showrunners/EPs David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal.

NCIS has franchised shows set in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Hawaii and Sydney, Australia, and produced more than 1,000 episodes of network dramas. His latest variant, NCIS: Origins, offers something different and darker as the show returns to the source.

“The character of Gibbs has resonated with audiences worldwide because he is both a role model and someone they can relate to,” says Sean Harmon. “The world is used to seeing Gibbs as 'the boss,' but in NCIS: Origins we are dealing with a much less moderate version of him. Fans can look forward to a more intimate look at what Gibbs is all about and meet some of the characters who have influenced him along the way.”

The prequel turns the clock back to 1991. It begins with Gibbs' first day on the job as a probation officer, and flashbacks show how he came to be involved in what was then known as the NIS. “He's in many ways much more raw and vocal than the Mark Harmon Gibbs that we've all seen for so many years,” says North.

The new recruit experienced a terrible personal tragedy months before the series began. “NCIS: Origins is shortly after the death of his wife and daughter,” says Mark Harmon. “He is the 'newbie' at NIS and learns every day under Special Agent Mike Franks. We’ll see him develop and grow into the man he becomes and we’ll ride with the audience and reveal that backstory and story.”

In the new show, Austin Stowell steps into Gibbs' shoes. “Mark told him to trust his process and his instincts and is available to him,” North says. “Austin studied Mark and his behaviors, but at the same time it's a different character and a different time in his life, and he brought so much of himself to it.”

According to North, NCIS fans are in for a surprise. “It’s much more serialized. Gina and I originally sold it and developed it for streaming on Paramount+. It was transferred to the network (with a direct-to-consumer order for the 2024-25 season), but we wanted to do more of a streaming show.”

Monreal picks up the thread. “The tone itself is a little darker, a little darker, which we like because we feel like we're pushing the envelope with what the franchise does, but at the same time keeping the core,” she says. “What does NCIS This found family is so loved

The showrunner pair have written for what they're calling “OG NCIS” and want fans to come to a new kind of series NCIS Drive.

“We believe we know what this special sauce is, and we believe we’ve enhanced our show with it,” North says. “But we really go to a deeper place where we take these characters and learn so much. The most special episodes of NCIS are always the ones about our characters. These are all scattered throughout the seasons and are the ones that stick in people's minds. Gina and I tried to do this every week NCIS Origins.”