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Entertainment
Michael Balderston

NCIS: Origins — cast, plot and everything we know about the NCIS prequel series

Austin Stowell in NCIS: Origins.

NCIS has been one of the most successful CBS shows of all time. Across its flagship series and various spinoffs (NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: Hawai'i and NCIS: Sydney), there have been more than a thousand episodes of the NCIS team solving crimes. A brand-new spinoff is set to add to that number, as NCIS: Origins is set to premiere in 2024.

As the name would suggest, NCIS: Origins is going back in time a bit, as the latest spinoff is set to be a prequel series focused around the most iconic character in the franchise, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, famously portrayed by Mark Harmon for more than 400 episodes in the original series. But what else lies in store for NCIS: Origins?

Read on to get all the information we currently have on the new CBS crime drama.

NCIS: Origins release date

An official release date for NCIS: Origins has not been revealed at this time, but CBS did announce that the series will make its premiere in fall 2024, most likely sometime in September.

NCIS: Origins will take the place of the recently cancelled NCIS: Hawai'i, airing after NCIS season 22 at 10 pm ET/PT on Mondays.

NCIS: Origins is just one of the new shows premiering on CBS in fall 2024. Others include Matlock, George & Mandy's First Marriage, Poppa's House and The Summit.

NCIS: Origins cast

Stepping into Harmon's shoes to play the young Gibbs is going to be Austin Stowell. This is not Stowell's first time appearing on an NCIS show, as he previously guest-starred in an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. Among his other credits are roles in Dolphin Tale, Whiplash, Bridge of Spies, Battle of the Sexes, 12 Strong, Catch-22 and A Friend of the Family.

Here are some of the other confirmed cast members and who they are playing:

  • Kyle Schmid (Big Sky) as Mike Franks
  • Mariel Molino (The Watchful Eye) as Special Agent Lala Dominguez
  • Tyla Abercrumbie (The Chi) as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Sullivan
  • Diany Rodriguez (The Blacklist) as Special Agent Vera Strickland

Fans may also be pleased to know that Harmon is going to provide narration for the show. 

NCIS: Origins plot

Here is the synopsis for NCIS: Origins provided by CBS:

"NCIS: Origins follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by Mark Harmon. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks."

David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, both long-time producers on NCIS, are serving as executive producers (along with Harmon) and showrunners for the new spinoff, including co-writing the first episode. Niels Arden Oplev, who has directed episodes of Vikings: Valhalla and FBI as well as the Swedish The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is also an executive producer and is directing the pilot episode.

NCIS: Origins trailer

CBS released a little teaser for NCIS: Origins when it announced the show's fall premiere plan. Teaser is the optimal word, as it’s just 10 seconds long: 

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