NCIS

NCIS’ Gibbs Prequel Is Missing One Original Character Better Than Vera & Franks

Mark Harmon returns for the NCIS Gibbs prequel, which will feature some familiar faces. It's missing its most important supporting character, though.

Aaron OzrovitzJanuary 13, 2024

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Mark Harmon is returning to NCIS, but as the narrator for the Gibbs prequel instead of appearing on-screen.
The NCIS prequel will explore Gibbs’ early years at the organization and feature his mentor, Mike Franks, and Special Agent Vera Strickland.
The prequel should also include a young version of Ducky Mallard, as his friendship with Gibbs is important to the overall story.

The NCIS Leroy Jethro Gibbs will also feature Mike Franks and Special Agent Vera Strickland, but it’s missing one of the most important original characters from the show. Just a couple of years since Mark Harmon left NCIS, the actor is returning to reprise his role as the stoic but principled leader of the eponymous team. However, instead of playing the role on-screen, Harmon will slip back into the role as the narrator for the NCIS Gibbs’ prequel, which takes the same format as Young Sheldon.

Specific narrative details for the upcoming project are still being tightly kept under wraps. However, its premise reveals that the NCIS spinoff will take place in the early ’90s, while Gibbs was stationed at Camp Pendleton. This is the reason why his mentor, Franks, and Strickland can appear in the series. It’s safe to say that they will be integral in the subsequent story of Gibbs’ navigating his first few years in the organization before he became the strict but brilliant NCIS leader. That being said, while it’s great to see how Franks and Strickland helped shape Gibbs, there’s a more important character that needs to join the NCIS prequel.

The NCIS Prequel Can Further Explore Ducky And Gibbs’ Friendship

Harmon’s Gibbs NCIS prequel needs to bring back Ducky Mallard, the original team’s medical examiner. By the time the CBS police procedural debuted, the core team was already assembled, with its events kicked off by the arrival of Kate Todd from being part of the Secret Service. Among everyone, however, Gibbs had the longest time working with Ducky. The pair became friends in ’80s, as subsequently revealed in the show. Given the timeline of the upcoming spinoff, it means that Ducky was already a part of Gibbs’ life by the time the show’s story begins, making it almost mandatory to feature a young version of David McCallum’s character.

Exploring the years before their time in the primary NCIS show could explain some of the odd elements of Ducky and Gibbs’ friendship. It could also offer additional context concerning their relationship, effectively making one of the most vital pairings of the show better. Overall, there aren’t really any drawbacks to bringing young Ducky to the NCIS Gibbs prequel.

Ducky And Gibbs’ Relationship Is More Integral To NCIS

Franks and Strickland’s bigger role in the NCIS Gibbs prequel could change how their appearance in the main series. That being said, their involvement in the parent show was minuscule compared to Ducky’s. Because of this, it means more to see how his professional and personal relationship with Gibbs developed years before they debuted as part of the original NCIS cast. It can also serve as a different link to the flagship project, in light of Ducky’s passing — a reflection of McCallum’s recent death. Even if Harmon doesn’t return for the special NCIS tribute for the character, he can still his respects by exploring Gibbs’ friendship with Ducky.