‘NCIS: Origins’ Reveals Remaining Cast: Everything We Know About Gibbs Prequel

Meredith Jacobs July 16, 2024, 7:47 am

Austin Stowell for 'NCIS: Origins' — CBS

We’ve heard about and seen a bit of Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon, on NCIS) life before and as he joined the federal agency NIS (before it was NCIS) on the mothership. But now, in a new series coming to CBS this fall, we’ll see it all play out.

NCIS: Origins was ordered straight to series in January 2024. It will follow a young Gibbs early in his career. Harmon is attached to the series as the narrator and executive producer. Though his son, Sean Harmon, played young Gibbs on NCIS, he is not stepping back into the role and instead acts as executive producer on the series.

Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment said at the time that the new series “will build on the rich legacy of this character while reintroducing fan-favorite characters and meeting new ones,” while executive producers and co-showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North called it “the making of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And even the most dedicated NCIS fans will discover that they don’t know the whole story.”

Read on for everything we know about the new series in the NCIS franchise, from its cast to a premiere date and more.

When does NCIS: Origins take place?

The prequel begins in 1991, years prior to the events of the mothership. Fans first met the character of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the two-part backdoor pilot on JAG in April 2003, then NCIS premiered in September of the same year.

Who plays the young Leroy Jethro Gibbs?

Austin Stowell will be playing the young Gibbs in the prequel. His credits include A Friend in the Family, The Hating Game, Catch 22, and Amazing Stories.

Everything We Know So Far About 'NCIS: Tony & Ziva'

What’s the prequel about?

NCIS: Origins follows Gibbs as he 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.

Who makes up the rest of the NCIS: Origins cast?

Leading the team in the prequel is Mike Franks, whom fans met in the original series played by Muse Watson. Taking on that role now is Kyle Schmid, who told TV Insider, “we’re seeing [Mike] at a point in his life where he has paved his own way and earned the respect of the agency. Now he has the opportunity to build a team that he sees as being some of the most promising agents in NCIS. We get to meet those people and see those people grow. He is still at a point where he gets to mentor Gibbs. I think we’ll get to see why Gibbs was who the world fell in love with in the original NCIS and how he came to be that way. And Mike Franks is a big part of that.”

Mariel Molino stars as Special Agent Lala Dominguez, a former Marine navigating her 1990s male-dominated field with a steely resolve and a dark sense of humor. There will be sparks in her story with Gibbs. Tyla Abercrumbie plays Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Sullivan, a product of her time and the lifeblood of the Camp Pendleton office who calls herself the Head Secretary in Charge; she’s the one who knows where the bodies are buried.

Diany Rodriguez‘s Special Agent Vera Strickland (Roma Maffia on NCIS) is a no-nonsense, sharp-witted Brooklynite who’s tough as nails and never minces words. She’s spent her entire career being underestimated by misogynistic morons, but if it’s a fight those boys want, that’s what they’ll get.

Caleb Martin Foote recurs as Special Agent Benjamin “Randy” Randolf, the agency’s all too lovable golden boy. He’s been tasked with showing the newly minted Agent Gibbs the ropes, so thankfully, this father of young twins is practiced in patience. Daniel Bellomy recurs as Special Agent Granville “Granny” Dawson, a young probationary agent, who’s cutting his teeth as the Evidence Custodian’s assistant, all the while itching to work his way up the ranks to field agent.

Lori Petty recurs as pathologist Dr. Lenora Friedman, who’s as comfortable around the dead as she is the living, and her passion for the job is infectious. Bobby Moynihan recurs as director of the NIS Forensic Lab Woodrow “Woody” Browne, who’s wildly overworked and compensates for his lack of sleep with an offbeat sense of humor.

And Robert Taylor will recur as Gibbs’ hard-nosed father, Jackson (played by Ralph Waite on NCIS).

When does the new series premiere?

NCIS: Origins will have a two-hour premiere at a special time, 9/8c, on Monday, October 14. The following week, on October 21, it will move to its usual 10/9c time slot.