NCIS: Origins

NCIS: Origins is an American police procedural television series, and the sixth installment in the NCIS franchise. It is a prequel to the original series and follows a younger Leroy Jethro Gibbs during his early career years as a Probationary NIS Agent while still processing the trauma of the murder of his wife and daughter.

NCIS: Origins
Promotional image featuring Austin Stowell
Genre	Action drama Military Police procedural
Created by	Gina Lucita Monreal David J. North
Starring	Austin Stowell Kyle Schmid Mariel Molino Tyla Abercrumbie Diany Rodriguez Caleb Foote
Narrated by	Mark Harmon
Composers	Deana Kiner Kevin Kiner Sean Kiner
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	18
Production
Executive producers	Mark Harmon Sean Harmon Gina Lucita Monreal David J. North Niels Arden Oplev
Producer	Michele Greco
Editors	Brian Wessel Kyle Keris Mats Abbott Imelda Betiong Tirsa Hackshaw Keith Henderson Matthew Wingard
Running time	42–44 minutes
Production companies	J. Bird Ceci Bear Productions Wings Productions CBS Studios
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	October 14, 2024 (2024-10-14) – present
Related
Hawaii Five-0 NCIS NCIS: Los Angeles NCIS: New Orleans NCIS: Hawaiʻi NCIS: Sydney NCIS: Tony & Ziva

In February 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.^[1][2][3][4]

Synopsis

NCIS: Origins follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by the older Gibbs (Mark Harmon). In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NIS Camp Pendleton office, where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid).^[5]

Cast

Main

• Austin Stowell as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a newcomer to the Pendleton branch of the Naval Investigative Service, the precursor to NCIS
  • Mark Harmon reprises his role as the older Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a now-retired veteran NCIS agent who narrates the series
• Kyle Schmid as Special Agent Mike Franks, a seasoned agent and leader of the team. Franks was played by Muse Watson in the original series.
• Mariel Molino as Special Agent Cecilia "Lala" Dominguez, a former Marine determined to stand out in the male-dominated workplace
• Tyla Abercrumbie as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Hayes, the self-described "Head Secretary in Charge"
• Diany Rodriguez as Special Agent Vera Strickland, a tough, no-nonsense agent. Roma Maffia played the character in the original series.
• Caleb Foote as Special Agent Bernard "Randy" Randolf, the team's golden boy^[6]

Recurring

• Tonantzin Carmelo as Tish Kwa'la, Mike Franks' girlfriend, "love of his life"^[7]
• Patrick Fischler as Special Agent in Charge Cliff Wheeler, head of NIS's Pendleton Office^[8]
• Julian Black Antelope as Chief Medical Examiner Témet Téngalkat, an unfazed, experienced ME, with ties to NIS
• Michael Harney as Richard Kowalski, Evidence Custodian, who used to be Army chaplain
• Daniel Bellomy as Herman "Herm" Daniels, a NIS agent acting as the Evidence Custodian's assistant^[6]
• Bobby Moynihan as Woodrow "Woody" Browne, a forensic analyst
• Ely Henry as Philip Elertson, a chemist who works with Woody
• Matthew Henerson as Carl Loughlin, an NIS agent
• Eric Normington as Roger Murphy, a former NIS agent who had a gambling problem
• Aaron Wilton as Special Agent JJ Henneberry, an NIS agent
• Marisa Baram as Gail Price, an NIS secretary
• Robert Taylor as Jackson Gibbs, Jethro's father. The character was played by Ralph Waite in the original series before his death in 2014.^[6]
• Jared Bankens as Jamison "Bugs" Boyd, a criminal profiled by Vera
• Lori Petty as Dr. Lenora Friedman, an assistant medical examiner
• Adam Huber as Luke Fletcher, counselor at the VA, real Sandman
• Jeffrey Boehm as Dalton, an NIS agent
• Michael Shepperd as Smitty, bartender at Daly's tavern
• Eddie Alfano as Todd, a bouncer at Daly's tavern

Guest

• Lucas Dixon as FBI Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell. Joe Spano played the character in original series.
• Claire Berger as Lara Macy. Lala's friend; military police investigator. Louise Lombard played the character in original series' future Special Agent in Charge at the Office of Special Projects in Los Angeles.
• Kathleen Kenny as Diane Sterling, Real Estate Agent; Gibbs' future second wife. Melinda McGraw played the character in original series.

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	18		October 14, 2024 (2024-10-14)	April 28, 2025 (2025-04-28)
2	TBA		October 14, 2025 (2025-10-14)	TBA

Season 1 (2024–25)

No. overall	No. in season	Title [9]	Directed by	Written by	Original release date [9]	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Enter Sandman"	Niels Arden Oplev	Gina Lucita Monreal & David J. North	October 14, 2024 (2024-10-14)	5.03[10]
2	2
The events of these episodes take place, and thus the series begins, at the end of October, 1991. Young Leroy Jethro Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NIS Camp Pendleton Office, where he forges his place on a gritty ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks. His first case involves the investigation of a sniper called Sandman.
3	3	"Bend, Don't Break"	John Terlesky	Jon Worley	October 21, 2024 (2024-10-21)	4.06[11]
A murder near Camp Pendleton leads Gibbs and the team to a suburban mall in San Diego, where Gibbs takes matters into his own hands. Jackson Gibbs pays Franks an unexpected visit.
4	4	"All's Not Lost"	Hanelle M. Culpepper	Michael J. Ballin & Thomas Aguilar	October 28, 2024 (2024-10-28)	3.77[12]
Still grieving the loss of his wife and daughter, Gibbs helps the team work a case involving a missing girl. The moment that irrevocably changed Gibbs' life is revealed.
5	5	"Last Rites"	Lionel Coleman	Margarita Matthews	November 4, 2024 (2024-11-04)	3.52[13]
With the countdown on to an execution, Franks races to extricate the location of a missing body from a death row inmate and honor a promise he made to the victim's sister before time runs out.
6	6	"Incognito"	Pete Chatmon	Shalisha Francis-Feusner	November 11, 2024 (2024-11-11)	3.90[14]
Gibbs goes undercover for the first time with Lala as NIS works the case of a dead Navy seaman who may have been sharing top-secret intel that poses a threat to national security. Also, Lala struggles with her place on the team and an unexpected development in her personal life.
7	7	"One Flew Over"	Jessica Lowrey	Rafael Samano & Margarita Matthews & Gina Lucita Monreal	November 25, 2024 (2024-11-25)	3.50[15]
NIS investigates the murder of a dementia-afflicted Jane Doe. Also, flashbacks reveal the first time Gibbs met Franks.
8	8	"Sick as Our Secrets"	Ed Ornelas	Stephen Day & Daniel J. Egbert	December 2, 2024 (2024-12-02)	3.79[16]
Gibbs and the team investigate the case of a Navy priest who was killed in the confessional booth and may have been targeted by mistake. Meanwhile, Randy shows Gibbs the ropes of working a protective detail while struggling with a personal situation.
9	9	"Vivo o Muerto"	Loren Yaconelli	Gina Lucita Monreal & Michael J. Ballin & Thomas Aguilar & Rafael Samano	December 9, 2024 (2024-12-09)	3.40[17]
The case of a missing woman who disappeared after a night of clubbing with a Navy seaman takes the team to Mexico, where they learn of a possible connection to Gibbs' past.
10	10	"Blue Bayou"	John Terlesky	David J. North & Gina Lucita Monreal & Brendan Fehily	December 16, 2024 (2024-12-16)	3.48[18]
As Leroy Jethro Gibbs prepares for his first Christmas without his wife and daughter, flashbacks reveal the unlikely journey that led to his first day on the job as a special agent at NIS' Camp Pendleton office working with Mike Franks and Lala.
11	11	"Flight of Icarus"	Ruben Garcia	Jennifer Corbett & Gina Lucita Monreal	January 27, 2025 (2025-01-27)	4.10[19]
The team investigates the death of a famed Marine commander's son, while a pivotal part of Franks' past involving his family is revealed.
12	12	"Touchstones"	Anya Adams	Gina Lucita Monreal & David J. North & Brendan Fehily	February 3, 2025 (2025-02-03)	3.91[20]
When the evidence room is broken into and significant cash goes missing, the team looks into a connection to a recent case. Also, Lala opens up to Gibbs, and Kowalski struggles to move forward
13	13	"Monsoon"	Hanelle M. Culpepper	Gina Lucita Monreal	February 10, 2025 (2025-02-10)	3.70[21]
The team investigates the brutal murder of a veteran who fell on hard times after serving in Vietnam, leading Franks to reflect on his own struggles following the war while Gibbs considers a new path forward.
14	14	"To Have and To Hold"	Diana Valentine	Shalisha Francis-Feusner	March 24, 2025 (2025-03-24)	3.77[22]
The team works the case of an investment advisor found dead shortly after her release from prison while Mary Jo is left reeling by an unexpected development in her personal life.
15	15	"From the Ashes"	Hanelle M. Culpepper	Margarita Matthews	March 31, 2025 (2025-03-31)	3.54[23]
The team investigates the brutal murder of a military sergeant found burned in her car, a case Franks suspects could have a connection to the assault of his estranged boyfriend, Tish.
16	16	"Bugs"	Jessica Lowrey	Jennifer Corbett & Michael J. Ballin & Thomas Aguilar	April 14, 2025 (2025-04-14)	3.57[24]
The events of this episode takes place on February 7, 1992. Vera receives an unexpected call from Bugs, who claims he's ready to answer more questions from prison after being identified as the sniper known as "Sandman". When she arrives, Bugs has suddenly changed his mind, prompting the team to reconsider the case and race against the clock to try and stop another tragedy.
17	17	"Darlin', Don't Refrain"	Pamela Romanowsky	Story by : Gina Lucita Monreal & David J. North & Brendan Fehily Teleplay by : David J. North & Brendan Fehily	April 21, 2025 (2025-04-21)	3.89[25]
After the shocking developments in the Sandman case, the team works with the FBI to investigate further. While Wheeler struggles to hold onto his job, his family reaches a crisis point.
18	18	"Cecilia"	Niels Arden Oplev	Gina Lucita Monreal	April 28, 2025 (2025-04-28)	3.87[26]
When the murder of Pedro Hernandez is unearthed, Gibbs faces a reckoning but when he needs his team most, the loyalty of one is brought into question.

Season 2 (TBA)

The second season will premiere on October 14, 2025.

Production

NCIS: Origins was announced in January 2024, with franchise mainstays Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North acting as showrunners. The series is executive produced by Mark Harmon and his son Sean Harmon, who had played a younger Gibbs in flashback sequences on the original show.^[27]

Austin Stowell was cast as Gibbs in March.^[5] Before Stowell was cast, Stephen Amell auditioned for the role.^[28] Mariel Molino, Kyle Schmid, Tyla Abercrombie and Diany Rodriguez completed the main cast in March.^[29][30][31]

Lori Petty and Bobby Moynihan joined the cast in July.^[32]

On November 7, 2024, CBS granted the series a full season order with an additional 5 episodes bringing the total episode count to 18 episodes.^[33]

The show is filmed on a 1990s era recreated set of Camp Pendleton, built at Fort MacArthur, a former Army installation in San Pedro.^[34]

Release

The series premiered on October 14, 2024, on CBS.^[35][36] The first season consisted of 18 episodes.

Reception

Pre-release

The announcement of NCIS: Origins resulted in the cancellation of NCIS: Hawaiʻi, leading to several angered fans boycotting Origins.^[37]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 88% based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10.^[38]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of NCIS: Origins

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)	Ref.
1	"Enter Sandman, Part 1"	October 14, 2024	0.3/3	5.03	0.2	2.24	0.5	7.27	[10]
2	"Enter Sandman, Part 2"	October 14, 2024	0.3/3	5.03	0.2	2.24	0.5	7.27	[10]
3	"Bend, Don't Break"	October 21, 2024	0.4/4	4.06	0.1	2.24	0.5	6.30	[11]
4	"All's Not Lost"	October 28, 2024	0.3/3	3.77	0.1	2.20	0.4	5.97	[12]
5	"Last Rites"	November 4, 2024	0.3/3	3.52	0.1	2.33	0.5	5.84	[13]
6	"Incognito"	November 11, 2024	0.3/3	3.90	0.2	2.33	0.4	6.23	[14]
7	"One Flew Over"	November 25, 2024	0.2/3	3.50	0.1	2.20	0.3	5.70	[15]
8	"Sick as Our Secrets"	December 2, 2024	0.3/3	3.79	0.2	2.40	0.4	6.19	[16]
9	"Vivo o Muerto"	December 9, 2024	0.2/2	3.40	0.2	2.28	0.4	5.68	[17]
10	"Blue Bayou"	December 16, 2024	0.3/3	3.48	0.2	2.17	0.4	5.65	[18]
11	"Flight of Icarus"	January 27, 2025	0.3/5	4.10	0.2	2.27	0.5	6.38	[19]
12	"Touchstones"	February 3, 2025	0.3/5	3.91	0.1	2.28	0.4	6.19	[20]
13	"Monsoon"	February 10, 2025	0.3/5	3.70	0.1	2.13	0.4	5.83	[21]
14	"To Have and To Hold"	March 24, 2025	0.3/4	3.77	0.1	2.22	0.4	5.99	[22]
15	"From the Ashes"	March 31, 2025	0.2/3	3.54	—	—	—	—	[23]
16	"Bugs"	April 14, 2025	0.2/4	3.57	—	—	—	—	[24]
17	"Darlin', Don't Refrain"	April 21, 2025	0.3/4	3.89	—	—	—	—	[25]
18	"Cecilia"	April 28, 2025	0.3/4	3.87	0.1	2.03	0.4	5.90	[26]