Why Mark Harmon’s Gibbs Left NCIS

Along with the late David McCallum, Mark Harmon is arguably the actor who’s most commonly associated with the “NCIS” franchise. His character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, debuted on “JAG” before gracing 19 seasons of “NCIS.” As of this writing, Gibbs is also the only character to receive his own prequel series, which we’ll cover in more detail later. In short, though, Harmon is a poster child for this franchise, and that’s why fans were shocked when he parted ways with the hit procedural in 2021.

Harmon was in his 70s when he left “NCIS,” but he didn’t quit because he wanted to retire and enjoy the fruits of his labor. In fact, the Gibbs star stayed on board as an executive producer and kept busy working on some passion projects. He then returned to the “NCIS” universe in a more substantial capacity, even though it’s far from the type of full-blown on-screen role most fans would like to see. With that in mind, let’s find out why Harmon left “NCIS” and what he’s been up to during his absence.

As previously mentioned, Mark Harmon never completely left “NCIS.” At the time, both the actor and the show’s creators felt that Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ story had reached its natural end, but Harmon’s behind-the-scenes role ensures that he’s still involved in the development of the series.

“I always paid attention to the writing room on that show creatively,” the actor told Parade, commenting on his decision to leave “NCIS” in 2024. “It wasn’t so much a decision to leave as it was maybe just the right timing to push away a little bit,” he explained, adding that he knew the show would go on since “NCIS” is bigger than any one actor.

What’s more, parting ways with the long-running crime drama afforded Harmon more time to expand his artistic repertoire. In 2023, he co-authored “Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor,” which chronicles historical accounts of real-life espionage and naval intelligence. In a way, it’s a perfect companion piece to the subject matter often explored on “NCIS.”

Fans will be pleased to know that Harmon remains part of the fabric of the universe that turned him into a mainstay of network television. At the same time, a desire to cut back on his professional commitments was a motivating factor in his decision to step back from “NCIS.”

Mark Harmon accepted the role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs expecting to find a better work-life balance. However, the actor quickly learned that he’d have to spend long days on the set, which really took their toll on him over time. In a previous interview with “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Harmon revealed that he was exhausted when he left “NCIS,” and that he wanted to spend more time with his loved ones:

“I think for the longest time, I was just tired. Part of taking the job [involved] being home, with a young family, not traveling so much doing movies. The first day, we worked 22 hours. So I thought, ‘That’s not exactly what I thought this was going to be.’ But we had a lot of days like that in the first four years.”

Fortunately, the time away allowed Harmon to recharge his batteries and return for “NCIS: Origins,” a prequel series about his character during his early days on the squad. Keeping that in mind, what motivated the acting veteran to give up more time at home and reprise the role of Gibbs?

While retired “NCIS” stars such as Pauley Perrette have vowed never to return to acting, Mark Harmon never hung up his boots. In fact, he returned to the procedural franchise not long after calling it quits, providing the narration for the elderly Gibbs on “NCIS: Origins.” Austin Stowell’s younger iteration of the agent is the star of the prequel, but Harmon’s character’s voice is present in every episode. He also makes a couple of cameo appearances, which is better than no on-screen role at all, right?

Discussing his decision to return for the prequel with Variety in 2024, Harmon revealed that he actually pitched the idea to showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal. The actor believed that there were more Gibbs stories to tell, and a prequel series allowed them to switch things up. In his own words:

“I couldn’t be more thrilled with Gina and David, who they represent and their history with his show. They were the best I ever worked with on that show, and I love what they’ve done and what they’ve worked very hard at and tried to push toward. My job is to try to protect that.”

Unfortunately, “NCIS: Origins” was greenlit around the same time CBS canceled “NCIS: Hawaii,” which led to some pushback from fans who wanted the franchise to move forward with new characters. While folks were happy to see Harmon back in the saddle, it arguably came at the expense of another fan-favorite series. That said, “NCIS: Origins” provides some closure for those who were unhappy with Gibbs’ send-off in the flagship show.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ final case sees him track down Paul Lemere (Jason Wiles), a hitman with ties to a corrupt company called Sonova Industries. Essentially, Lemere was hired by the corporation to assassinate anyone who risked exposing its dark secrets and the dangers it posed to the environment. The case takes Gibbs to Alaska, where he brings down Lemere and Sonova’s corrupt CEO, albeit at the expense of his own freedom.

Gibbs’ investigation sees him take the law into his own hands, turning him into a wanted fugitive. Instead of trying to clear his name after solving the case, he opts to retire from the NCIS team and remain in Alaska. The story concludes with him fishing and writing in his journal — hobbies he continues to pursue in the present-day on “NCIS: Origins.”

Despite technically being a criminal, Gibbs’ story ended on a happy note. Fishing has always brought him some peace of mind, and he seems content to be away from the dangerous world of hunting down criminals. However, given that Harmon is still involved with the franchise, the door is always open for Gibbs to potentially solve more cases down the line.