NCIS: Origins Season 3: Release Date, Mark Harmon's Full Return, and Everything Else to Know

Gibbs is coming out of retirement! In news that should excite NCIS fans worldwide, prequel series NCIS: Origins is welcoming back former star Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in a full-time capacity for Season 3 — and he'll be appearing in every episode, expanding upon his usual role as narrator. While we'll have to wait a bit to find out how Harmon fits into the creative plan on NCIS: Origins, we do know it involves a season-long, present-day mystery that ties back to Gibbs' early career at Camp Pendleton. It's fair to assume flashbacks and flash-forwards will be at play.

Created by Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North, NCIS: Origins takes place a decade before the events of NCIS and finds a young Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991 — after tragically losing his wife and daughter in a fatal car crash — as he finds his footing as a rookie special agent at the fledgling Naval Investigative Unit at Camp Pendleton.

With Harmon back in the fold in front of the camera, there's already a lot to look forward to in NCIS: Origins Season 3. We gathered all the pertinent information you'll need to know heading into the new season, including Harmon's anticipated return, its premiere date, and much more.

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NCIS: Origins Season 3 release date

NCIS: Origins Season 3 will premiere Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 9/8c on CBS. The prequel series is part of CBS' three-hour NCIS Tuesday block. Flagship NCIS leads off the night with its Season 24 premiere at 8/7c, with new spin-off NCIS: New York, starring NCIS: LA alum LL Cool J as Sam Hanna, closing out the lineup at 10/9c. International edition NCIS: Sydney returns midseason for Season 4 on Paramount+.

Is Mark Harmon returning full-time as Gibbs?

Yes! CBS announced on June 30 that Harmon will return as Leroy Jethro Gibbs "for the next chapter in the iconic character's story." He will appear in all 10 episodes of Season 3 as part of a present-day mystery connected to his Camp Pendleton days in the 1990s.

This is a major development for the NCIS universe. Despite taking a backseat since departing NCIS in October 2021 after an 18-season run, Harmon has remained an executive producer on the mothership series. On NCIS: Origins, which follows a young Gibbs starting his career in the early '90s, Harmon is an executive producer and narrates every episode. He has also appeared sporadically as Gibbs, first in the October 2024 series premiere and via a special guest appearance for the November 2025 crossover event between NCIS and NCIS: Origins.

How did NCIS: Origins Season 2 end?

With several big moments — and the reveal of the renamed NCIS division.

In the finale, "Hollywood Ending," Gibbs and Lala (Mariel Molino) take a big step forward in their ongoing "will they, won't they" relationship. After Lala toys with the idea of leaving the team and spending a quiet life with Manny (Miguel Gómez), the thought of losing her spurs Gibbs into action, who desperately pleads with her to stay. The pair share their first romantic kiss — with Whitney Houston's iconic cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" soundtracking the scene.

"I think we wanted to do something surprising, yet something that felt very earned. With the way that the NCIS franchise usually does it, that would be teased out a lot longer," Monreal told TV Line. "We really felt like character-wise and story-wise, it was the right time, but we also just wanted to surprise people. A lot of people are really pulling for them." North added that the moment "felt honest." "We knew we wanted to tell this love story between those two," he said. "We wanted to take chances and walk these paths — and that's what we're doing."

Unfortunately for Gibbs' fellow team member Randy (Caleb Foote), he's in a bit of a dangerous pickle. He's kidnapped by unknown assailants after getting his hands on files he wasn't supposed to and we don't know his fate. Where does this leave him at the start of Season 3? We'll have to wait until Oct. 6 to find out. "He's grabbed for a reason that's really put his life in peril, but I don't want to give anything else away," North teased.

NCIS: Origins Season 3 cast

The core cast of NCIS: Origins remains intact for Season 3 with the addition of Harmon's expanded onscreen presence. Here are the official cast members.

NCIS: Origins cast:

• Austin Stowell as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs
• Mark Harmon as narrator and older Leroy Jethro Gibbs
• Kyle Schmid as Special Agent Mike Franks
• Mariel Molino as Special Agent Cecilia "Lala" Dominguez
• Tyla Abercrumbie as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Hayes
• Diany Rodriguez as Special Agent Vera Strickland
• Caleb Foote as Special Agent Bernard "Randy" Randolph

Where to watch NCIS: Origins

All seasons of NCIS: Origins are available to stream on Paramount+ with a subscription.