NCIS fans still want Mark Harmon to come back and play Gibbs on the show again.
The veteran actor decided that he wanted some free time to enjoy life and walked away near the beginning of Season 19.
It allowed the writers to create a scenario where his character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, simply retired to the Alaskan wilderness.
Within the context of the show, Gibbs is still enjoying his time away, and former FBI Agent Alden Parker has become the new team leader.
Even after losing Harmon, the show has continued to do well in the ratings, leading to CBS recently ordering NCIS Season 21.
Despite all that success, and even with Gary Cole doing well at playing Parker, many fans want Gibbs immediately back on the show.
Mark Harmon’s return to NCIS gets addressed
During a new interview with TV Insider, NCIS executive producer Steven D. Binder was asked a number of questions, but the one that stood out the most was whether or not Mark Harmon would ever return to the NCIS cast.
“I don’t see how we don’t see him one more time at some point,” Binder said, giving Gibbs fans some high hopes about the future.
“Gibbs has, in my mind, advanced to a higher plane of existence for now—I don’t want to place him in an apartment in Anchorage or anywhere,” Binder went on to say.
And he is correct in that assessment. They gave Gibbs the perfect send-off, making it very difficult to come up with a storyline that allows him to exit in an even better way down the line.
“We left him smiling on a river happy, and that’s the image I want people to have until we’re really ready to blow that out of the water or truly embrace it in some way,” Binder elaborated.
As a reminder about the final scene with Gibbs and NCIS Agent Timothy McGee, below is a clip from that memorable episode.
Milestone episodes coming up for NCIS
Even without Mark Harmon playing Gibbs, the show must go on. And on February 27, Episode No. 450 debuts on CBS.
That’s a huge number for the Monday night drama, with more episodes following it up this spring.
If NCIS makes it to Season 22, there is a great chance of the show making it to Episode No. 500 as well.
But that’s a bit down the road and there are still some important stories left to tell in the current season (21).
Elsewhere in the NCIS Universe, filming of the NCIS: Los Angeles series finale began, showing how close the drama is to reaching its end.
Before it gets to the finale, the NCIS: LA cast is introducing Marilu Henner as the ex-wife of former admiral Hollace Kilbride. She will bring an interesting new character to the show’s final season.
NCIS airs Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.