The creators of “Origins” used Gibbs' past to create a “darker” CBS spinoff

“NCIS: Origins” may not stray far from its flagship's DNA, but the updates to the formula make the revisiting of Leroy Jethro Gibbs' past a “darker” chapter for the popular CBS franchise.

The new series goes back in time to 1991, when Gibbs (Austin Stowell, successor to Mark Harmon) first joined NCIS as a special agent at Camp Pendleton. The two-hour premiere follows, in which the stoic agent takes on a new team while mourning the loss of his wife and daughter. Harmon narrates each episode, providing for the first time insight into the mysterious character's mindset – and hints at what might come next.

For co-showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, the Gibbs-centric prequel series presented the right opportunity to tackle a more “character-centric” version of the crime procedural.

“The show we’re doing now has the heart of the mothership but is a little darker,” North told TheWrap. “The tone goes much deeper into the personal lives of the characters and has more of a streaming feel.”

“It was so exciting for us to delve deeper into our new characters and into the already established characters, especially with Gibbs,” Monreal added. “The opportunity to engage with him in new ways was really fulfilling.”

North and Monreal are definitely up to this challenge. North was involved in “NCIS” from 2008 to 2024 and was promoted to co-showrunner of the flagship series alongside Steven D. Binder by season 21. Monreal was a writer and producer on the series from 2014 to 2021, then wrote for shows like Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Griselda.

The idea for “Origins” originally came from original Gibbs actor Mark Harmon and his son Sean, who played the character in flashbacks to “NCIS.” The pair brought the premise to North, who brought in Monreal to help build a show based on it. The product of this collaboration premieres Monday, introducing an all-new Gibbs to the franchise's legion of loyal fans.

“Mark was there to help us with the casting and helped us find the right young, royal Gibbs, which was invaluable. And now he's invaluable on set in a way that doesn't feel like he's imposing on Austin or anyone else… it's been a great partnership so far.”

Monreal also praised Harmon for lending his voice to the show's narration. “We've never heard (Gibbs') inner thoughts in this way before,” she said. We even see present-day Gibbs in the first episode, although North and Monreal tease that the show's focus will continue to be on '90s characters – but the “door is open” for Mark to reprise Gibbs if it feels appropriate .

“We're really more interested in what drives these people, what their weaknesses might be and how they work to overcome them,” Monreal said.

The new team is led by special agent Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid). Mariel Molino plays Special Agent Lala Dominguez, a former Marine trying to make her voice heard in a male-dominated workplace. Tyla Abercrumbie, Diany Rodriguez and Caleb Martin Foote complete the team.

North and Monreal also said that fans will be surprised by the series' portrayal of Franks – who fans know from the flagship series, played by Muse Watson. Fans can expect the leader to make some unusual comments as a 1990s power broker, but the writers note that there's still a lot to discover in his journey to becoming the “big” leader of the original series.

The showrunners concluded by saying that the entire ensemble helps bring the new series to a higher level, subsuming the “NCIS” case-of-the-week formula with all the interpersonal mysteries and cultural commentary that surround it brings a hat.

“We really wanted to create a show that covered a wide spectrum, from pretty dark to funny, and we're very lucky to have found a group of actors that have that range,” Monreal said.

“NCIS: Origins” premieres Monday, October 14 at 9pm ET/PT on CBS and streams the next day on Paramount+.

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