CBS expands ‘NCIS’ franchise with prequel series narrated by Mark Harmon

NCIS (Source: CBS)

CBS is expanding its NCIS military police procedural franchise with a prequel series to the original show.

NCIS: Origins will begin in 1991 and follow a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs years before the events of NCIS as he starts his career as a newly minted special agent and forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks.

Mark Harmon, who portrayed Gibbs on NCIS, will narrate the series, and will also executive produce alongside Sean Harmon, Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North.

Produced by CBS Studios, North and Monreal will co-write the premiere episode and serve as co-showrunners. The series will reunite North and Monreal, who both wrote on NCIS for 10 years. North is currently co-showrunner and executive producer on NCIS.

NCIS: Origins will join the existing five shows in the franchise, which has been a major success for CBS, including the original NCIS, as well as spin-offs NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai’i and NCIS: Sydney.

The original NCIS has been running on CBS for more than 20 years, having launched in September 2003 and was itself a spin-off the naval legal drama JAG, which ran for 10 seasons; from 1995 to 1996 on NBC and from 1997 to 2005 on CBS.

“We are elated and honored to continue the expansion of the NCIS universe in such a unique and unexpected way,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “Viewers can look forward to Mark Harmon returning to CBS to narrate the complex and mysterious backstory of Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ early years in NCIS: Origins, which will build on the rich legacy of this character while reintroducing fan-favorite characters and meeting new ones.”