Mark Harmon may have stepped down from his role as special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS in 2021, but fans think he could come back after getting ‘bored’ with retirement
NCIS viewers are holding out hope for the return of Mark Harmon.
The 73-year-old actor played special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the hit CBS show for almost 20 years before leaving in 2021. However, it’s rumored Mark is now “bored” of his retirement and is looking at returning to the NCIS universe.
Fans are convinced this could happen after watching the latest episode, Out of Control. In the show, the team investigated a murder related to a car that suddenly was able to drive on its own when its AI system malfunctioned. Throughout the episode, characters made references to Gibbs and his co-worker Abby Sciuto (played by Pauley Perrette).
Viewers believe these surprising references pave the way for both Gibbs and Abby to return. “So like am I just coping or am I valid im expecting Abby or Gibbs to pop up at some point in this season?” one person asked on Reddit.
They continued, “I’m sure I am probably 100% REACHING, and maybe it’s happened before and I just can’t remember it Rn. Any how the episode last night name dropped Abby and Gibbs (TWICE). Which is not that odd at all, but I feel like they never name drop previous characters unless they plan on showing up. I’m only coping i’m sure.”
Other viewers rushed to share their thoughts in the comments. “It was strange they mentioned Gibbs twice can’t remember the last time that happened unless quoting the rules or the 10k for the kids of Jimmy and Tim,” one fan agreed.
Another replied, “That’s exactly what I was thinking! Which was an okay nod to Gibbs didn’t think much about that given the context. Torres mentioning him just randomly felt like a “wink wink nudge nudge” kind of thing. Let’s be honest Casey much like abby and Mcgee always gets carried away in “geek” talk so to refer to Gibbs just stuck out to me.”
Someone else suggested, “I could see him coming back to take check on his house, idk if he sold it or anything with that was said, and end up working with the team,” while a fourth fan wrote, “I saw an article recently that Mark Harmon said he was willing to make some cameos since he was “bored with retirement” so you never know tbh.”
A source previously told Closer Weekly Mark has been “bored” during his retirement and could be looking on doing more cameos in the spinoff NCIS: Origins. They explained, “He finds working with his former colleagues a lot more stimulating than staying home with a list of repairs to be done. It seems his retirement plans have changed, and he wants to do more cameos on NCIS, in addition to the narration he does. Plus, he’s looking for other acting and producing work.”
Mark is a producer on the spinoff show and even narrates the series. While it seems possible he could make a return to the flagship NCIS show, it’s unlikely Pauley Perrette will be following.
The former actress, 55, starred as forensic scientist Abby Sciuto before leaving NCIS in 2018 during the show’s 15th season. She was rumored to have quit the show following an on-set incident with Mark’s dog.
Shortly after her departure, Pauley addressed the situation as she went on to suggest she was “bullied” while at work. Writing on X, she said the experience was “horrifying.”
She doubled down on the accusations in 2019, stating she is not coming back to NCIS. She also claimed to be “terrified of Harmon and him attacking” her.
In 2023, executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson confirmed Pauley’s exit was connected to an on-set incident with Mark’s dog. “In Pauley Perrette’s case, there was an incident with the show with a dog,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
He continued, “The dog was Mark Harmon’s, and apparently the dog bit someone. Pauley was a huge, huge SPCA [Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] animal person. And then the dog kept coming with Harmon, and she felt it wasn’t safe for the show. By the end of that year, she just felt like it wasn’t working for her anymore, and it was time to move on.”
