First announced in early January, CBS has given a series order for “NCIS: Origins,” which takes place in 1991, years before the events of “NCIS” and follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (narrated by Mark Harmon) through 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. Playing a young Gibbs will be Austin Stowell, the network announced today.
Stowell’s television credits include “A Friend of the Family,” “The Hating Game” opposite Lucy Hale, and “Breathe.” He also starred opposite George Clooney, Chris Abbott and Hugh Laurie in the limited series “Catch 22,” the Steven Spielberg anthology series “Amazing Stories,” and “Public Morals,” which was also executive produced by Spielberg and Ed Burns.
Sowell’s feature film credits include “Battle of the Sexes” alongside Emma Stone, “Bridge of Spies” with Tom Hanks, “This Tempting Madness,” “12 Strong” opposite Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon, as well as the Academy Award-winning “Whiplash” with JK Simmons, which was nominated for Best Picture and won the Audience and Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2014. Additional credits include “Fantasy Island,” the indie award-winning drama “Swallow,” and “Colossal” with Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis.
Produced by CBS studios, “NCIS: Origins” is set to be executive produced by Mark Harmon, Sean Harmon, David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, with North and Monreal co-writing the premiere episode and serving as co-showrunners.
“We are elated and honored to continue the expansion of the NCIS universe in such a unique and unexpected way,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, announcing the series order in January. “Viewers can look forward to Mark Harmon returning to CBS to narrate the complex and mysterious backstory of Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ early years in ‘NCIS: Origins,’ which will build on the rich legacy of this character while reintroducing fan-favorite characters and meeting new ones.”
“There’s no denying the cultural and global phenomenon of the NCIS franchise for the last 20 years,” said David Stapf, president of CBS Studios, in his own statement at the time. “When Sean and Mark approached us all with this exciting expansion of the universe – exploring a young Gibbs – we knew it was the next story that needed to be told. We also couldn’t be luckier to have Gina and David at the helm as co-showrunners who are not only brilliant and adept writers, but know this character and universe so well.”
“We’re thrilled to be bringing this new chapter to life along with Mark and Sean Harmon,” said executive producers and co-showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North. “This really is the making of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And even the most dedicated NCIS fans will discover that they don’t know the whole story.”
“The character of Gibbs has been an important part of my life for 20 years, both in watching my father craft the role and previously having the honor to play young Gibbs myself,” added executive producer Sean Harmon. “I always felt there was a tale worth telling about his earlier years, so I am thrilled to be stepping into a producing role alongside Gina, David and my dad as we tell this story and reveal a new side of this beloved character.”
During the 2022-2023 television season, it is estimated that the “NCIS” franchise had over 300 million worldwide viewers across all platforms, including broadcast, cable, streaming and syndication (according to Nielsen and internal data). In spring 2024, the franchise will celebrate its thousandth episode.
Art Streiber/CBS
Last week, it was announced that Paramount+ would be the home of another “NCIS” series, starring original recipe alums Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly. The untitled spinoff follows Tony DiNozzo (Weatherly) and Ziva David (de Pablo), who have been raising their daughter, Tali, together. Only after Tony’s security company is attacked do they find themselves running across Europe trying to figure out who is after them and maybe even learn to trust each other again if only so they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.
Both “NCIS: Origins” and the untitled “NCIS” spinoff starring de Pablo and Weatherly are set to premiere during the 2024-2025 television season on CBS and Paramount+, respectively.