NCIS: Origins star Austin Stowell has explained what makes his version of the iconic character Leroy Jethro Gibbs different. In the upcoming NCIS: Origins, which is a spinoff prequel show set in 1991, Stowell will play a younger version of the character, who was famously portrayed by Mark Harmon on the first 19 seasons of NCIS. Harmon will be providing narration for the new show, which also stars Mariel Molino, Kyle Schmid, Tyla Abercrumbie, and Diany Rodriguez and is set to premiere on CBS as part of the Fall 2024-2025 season.
As part of Entertainment Weekly’s Fall television preview, they shared a quote from Austin Stowell teasing what to expect from his version of Gibbs. According to the actor, his version of the character is “not the guy that the fans are used to.” In addition to being younger, he is “going through a lot of pain” and experiencing “a lot of newness in his life.” Read Stowell’s full quote below:
The Gibbs that we find in our show — it’s not the guy that the fans are used to. This is someone who’s going through a lot of pain. He’s suffered a tremendous tragedy just four months before we pick up this show, and there’s a lot of newness in his life. There’s lots of firsts going on right now.
What Austin Stowell’s Quote Means For NCIS: Origins
Gibbs’ Emotional State Could Hugely Affect His Character
Austin Stowell’s quote about Gibbs’ emotional state in the new installment from the NCIS shared universe squares with what has already been revealed about the show’s plot and where it fits into the franchise’s overall timeline. The new series is set to pick up just a few months after the character’s wife and daughter are killed, which would naturally lead him to be more emotionally raw than the more distanced Gibbs seen in season 1 of NCIS, which takes place more than a decade later.
Gibbs’ emotional state will likely make him a more malleable character, which is probably why there are so many firsts coming up in his life as he begins his career as a special agent at the NIS Camp Pendleton office. This could bleed into his relationships with the other returning characters who are part of the NCIS: Origins cast, including his future mentor Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), who he may see as a replacement for his estranged father Jackson Gibbs (Robert Taylor), with whom he canonically has not spoken since the funeral, as revealed in a later NCIS episode.
Our Take On Austin Stowell’s Gibbs Comments
NCIS: Origins’ Gibbs May Feel Like An Entirely Different Person
While Mark Harmon plumbed the depths of the character of Gibbs for more than two decades onscreen including in an uncredited appearance on a 2024 episode of NCIS season 21, NCIS: Origins is still exploring uncharted territory. By removing Gibbs’ experience as a special agent and showcasing him at one of the most emotionally vulnerable points of his life, the show is showing how an unformed and potentially directionless character eventually becomes shaped into the iconic television persona. As Stowell’s statement reveals, this is a version of the man that has truly never been seen before.
NCIS: Origins premieres on CBS on Monday, October 14 at 9/8C.