Mark Harmon and son Sean work together on “NCIS: Origins” and tell Gibbs’ backstory

The show wasn’t initially a hit. But with some time to grow his audience, NCIS is now in his 22nd year^nd Season with over 450 episodes aired.

The series follows the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s Major Case Response Team (MCRT) as they investigate criminal cases involving military personnel.

In the 19th season, a popular character of the team, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, left the screen. But now the story of its development is being told.

The new series NCIS: Origins follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in 1991, years before the events of NCIS. In the series, Gibbs begins his career as a newly minted special agent in the fledgling NCIS office at Camp Pendleton, where he earns his place as part of a tough, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks.

Austin Stowell plays Gibbs and is joined in the cast by Mariel Molino, Kyle Schmid, Tyla Abercrumbie, Diany Rodriguez and Caleb Foote. David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal serve as EPs and co-showrunners. Mark Harmon is the series’ narrator and serves as an executive producer, as does his son Sean Harmon.

North says working on the show is “truly a full-circle moment” for him and Monreal.

“We both wrote for the Mothership for more than ten years. She is one of my closest friends and now I am so proud to call her co-creator of this show,” he says.

Monreal adds: “Yes, we are so grateful to have been able to write for this iconic character of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and have that voice in our heads for so many years. It was really difficult for us to say goodbye to that voice, so it was a great joy for us to have the opportunity to breathe new life into the character.”

Although it shares its DNA with the original series, North says this version is “different” from any other series in the franchise.

However, he wants to clarify “what makes.” NCIS The special thing is still there, with the characters and the humor.”

Monreal explains: “I think we also have a fresh and interesting tone. It’s an edgier tone. It’s a more modern feel, even though we’re in 1991. The look is unlike anything else NCIS that you saw. So with the heart of what makes NCIS At its core, it’s so special that we’re putting it in a different kind of packaging, which is really refreshing.”

The elder Harmon points out, “The idea came from Sean and it just made sense that there was a new story to tell.”

He says this even though he’s happy to be a part of it Origins“I’m really a distant part of it because I’m not there to make big moves or anything, I’m just there to support.”

Because the mothership dictates so many aspects of the characters and their lives, North says this causes the creative team to “sometimes run into obstacles.”

“We’ll be like, ‘Oh man, we can’t do that because that’s how it is.’ But if you just stick with it, you usually end up with something better and you think, ‘Wow, now we’re going down this path,’ and it’s worked out so far.”

Another aspect that the writing team had to deal with is the fact that solving crimes was significantly different thirty years ago.

“We rely more on character changes because we don’t have the same kind of forensics. So in our case of the week it really depends on the character,” explains Monreal.

Additionally, she says, “We’ll also be able to go home with our investigators and see how their personal lives impact their professional lives, which will be a new element that we’ll really incorporate into the show, “Because it is.” will allow for a deeper investment in our characters and in our world.”

In some flashbacks from the original series, Sean Harmon played young Gibbs, with Austin Stowell now taking over the role.

“It was basically a huge honor to play a character that my father created over so many years, and it will always be something that is close to my heart.” But in truth, it was something I never thought of “I wanted to make a career out of it,” he says.

He is happy to be part of the team in his current position and says: “I have a lot of stories to tell and am absolutely thrilled to take on the role of executive producer and work with my father in a different way.”

The younger Harmon also says of Stowell: “As far as casting Austin, I mean, being in that casting room when he walked in there and just feeling his talent and his professionalism, I think I speak on behalf of that “The whole team, when I say ‘we’, are so excited to see what he brings to this role.”

Stowell explains his take on the character and what viewers will see: “This is a Gibbs struggling with the loss of his wife and child. This is not the Gibbs you know, the one the world knows now. [He’s not] the team leader who always did it – who always works so well together. This is someone who is broken. This is someone who is searching for their identity, trying to find themselves and find their footing in the world.”

He then briefly tells a story about an encouraging moment that occurred when he auditioned for the role. “I came into the room for my screen test [and] Mark came up to me and said two words that will stay with me forever. He said, ‘Trust yourself.'”

It all depends on the people, explains North, saying: “In my opinion, it depends on what makes a difference NCIS It’s very special, and what people really liked about it are the characters [and] We delve into the characters, and we do it on steroids here.

“NCIS: Origins” airs Mondays at 10:00 pm EST on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+