When series lead Mark Harmon aka Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs announced his departure from NCIS in season 19, fans were taken aback.
However, as evidenced by the recently aired Fall finale episode, the show isn’t shy about making references to the iconic role.
Sean Murray’s character Timothy McGee resurrected the storyline of his long-running hobby as a writer in the episode.
He alluded to the central character of his story, Agent Tibbs, who was clearly based on his boss, and mentioned that Gibbs was currently in Alaska.
Delilah McGee, the character’s wife, who also appeared in the episode, confirmed this, saying, “(You’ve) barely written a word since Gibbs left for Alaska. Gibbs is not what makes you great.”
Jessica Knight, played by Katrina Law, was the first to hear the joke, when she was asked, “Your lead character’s name is Special Agent Tibbs?”
The latest episode of the show made a reference to Special Agent Gibbs.
“Gibbs and Tibbs are wildly different people,” Timothy responded, before adding, “Novel’s going great, I’m just having some trouble getting started.”
“LJ Tibbs is retired, remember? So I have a new main character I think fans will love just as much as I do,” Sean said, referring to the fate of Harmon’s Gibbs.
Fans were ecstatic about the nod to the long-running lead and hoped for Mark’s return to the role of Agent Gibbs.
“@SeanHMurray just [made] a reference back to Gibbs/McGee goodbye scene ‘Great Wide Open’ still hits my heart,” said one fan.
In season 19, Mark stepped down from NCIS.
“I know that feeling McGee. We all still miss Gibbs,” another added, while a third added, “Delilah knows that her husband is frustrated because Gibbs stayed in Alaska. #NCIS.”
The series’ Fall finale aired on December 5, and it will be off the air for a month before returning on January 2, 2023.
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