Agent Gibbs appears to be gone for good, and NCIS is reacting accordingly.
Following the departure of series veteran Mark Harmon last year, the procedural’s opening credits have been changed.
The new opening credits for NCIS season 20, which premiered yesterday (September 19) in the United States, do not feature Harmon as the first cast member, as it has in previous seasons.
Instead, Sean Murray, who plays NCIS Senior Field Agent Timothy McGee, is the first member of the cast to appear in the opening montage.
Harmon made his JAG debut as NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in two episodes before moving on to NCIS, which he ended up directing for 19 years. In addition, he appeared in four episodes of NCIS: New Orleans.
Harmon appeared in only four episodes of NCIS season 19. In the character’s farewell scenes, Gibbs decides not to return to his job and settle in Alaska, where he had found some peace following a multi-episode arc. Even so, he remained in the opening credits for the rest of the season.
CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl initially described Harmon’s departure as a “transition,” though he acknowledged that removing the actor from the opening montage was a possibility in the future.
Is Gibbs likely to return in future seasons? Harmon addressed the issue earlier this year in an NCIS season 19 DVD featurette.
In the clip, the actor stated that he enjoyed playing the character and left the door open for a possible return, implying that Gibbs is not yet “retired.”
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