Mark Harmon is officially back in NCIS: Origins season 3 and his comeback feels like the beginning of the end for the prequel. CBS’s fall 2026 lineup includes the revamped Super Tuesday slate, which pushes the period series to the closing timeslot. Despite that, there’s so much to be excited about NCIS: Origins‘ return, especially in light of where the season 2 finale left its story. Not long after Camp Pendleton’s NIS saved the office from being shuttered, tragedy struck with Randy Randolph being abducted by unknown perpetrators. On a happier note, NCIS: Origins finally delivered on Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Lala Dominguez’s slow-burn romance with a passionate kiss.
As if those weren’t enough set-up for its junior year, it was also announced during the off-season that Harmon was coming back to reprise Old Gibbs at full capacity. While the actor has been involved in the series since its inception, being a producer and narrator, NCIS: Origins season 3 marks the first time that he will be spearheading an NCIS series since he wrapped up his stint in the flagship after nearly two decades. Showrunner David J. North, who is now solely managing the series after his co-creator Gina Lucita Monreal exited the series, knows that viewers are eager to see Harmon and learn what he has been up to, so he kicks off NCIS: Origins season 3 with him.
NCIS: Origins Season 3 Proves That Mark Harmon’s Gibbs Is Still A Badass
Continuing its tradition of bookending an episode, NCIS: Origins season 3, episode 1, “Don’t You Forget About Me,” opens with Harmon’s Old Gibbs. Instead of a short scene, however, the series delivers on a full sequence that is brilliantly tied to what’s going on in the past. NCIS: Origins fully embraces the dual timeline storytelling this year, as the attack on Old Gibbs in Alaska has something to do with whatever is happening with Mike Franks’ team in the ’90s.
Granted that there will always be continuity issues when it comes to NCIS: Origins‘ story, because it’s simply unavoidable given its circumstances, one thing it is able to do is ensure that Gibbs remains compelling and magnetic.
The period aspect of NCIS: Origins season 3, episode 1 gives viewers more of Austin Stowell’s Gibbs and Lala, but their time together is cut short when duty calls. Interestingly, the narration reveals that Old Gibbs has some regrets over letting them get distracted by Franks’ call — as if Randy’s life wasn’t hanging in the balance at that point, and without their involvement, he may have never been found. In any case, the abduction and its consequences are clearly going to factor into Harmon’s story in the present time, which is a neat way of tying the separate arcs together. Granted that there will always be continuity issues when it comes to NCIS: Origins‘ story, because it’s simply unavoidable given its circumstances, one thing it is able to do is ensure that either version of Gibbs remains compelling and magnetic.
Overall, “Don’t You Forget About Me” reminds anyone who has forgotten how cool and badass Harmon’s character is, and it definitely sets up a very exciting run for his full-season return. As he leaves the peace and solitude of Alaska, officially undoing Gibbs’ retirement in NCIS season 19, there’s interest in knowing if he’ll ever cross paths with his old team in Washington DC. Marketing promo for NCIS: Origins season 3 already confirmed that he will be back in the famed Navy Yard offices, but it’s currently uncertain if this means that he will be teaming up with his former agents, such as Timothy McGee and Tony Dinozzo. Whatever the case may be
NCIS: Origins Season 3 Sets A Clear Narrative Arc
At the end of the episode, Harmon’s signature narration talks about the story that started it all. The NCIS: Origins pilot established that this is Lala’s story, as opposed to the project being the origins story for Gibbs, which was what it was initially marketed. Now, as the series tackles this new mystery, Old Gibbs amends that it is now both of their story. Between that and the anonymous bad guy that shot the hero at the top of the hour, it sounds like NCIS: Origins is gearing up for the eventual introduction of Lala. For what it’s worth, North confirmed that season 3 will reveal what happened to her in the present time.
In the grand scale of things, NCIS: Origins, as a prequel, has a pre-determined end. Inspired by the success of Young Sheldon on CBS, it has to follow the major strokes of the flagship’s continuity. The difference is that, it can stretch out its narrative for as long as it can. That said, with Old Gibbs’ revelation at the end of “Don’t You Forget About Me,” it sure sounds like a set-up for the end, at least for this era of the show. This coincides with the fact that NCIS: Origins season 3 only has 13 episodes, allowing it to take on a more serialized storytelling. This isn’t technically bad, as it means that North has a clear vision of the trajectory of the upcoming cycle, which helps in terms of cohesiveness.
Whether there’s more to NCIS: Origins beyond Gibbs’ relationship with Lala, as the timeline established that there would be a gap between his time spent in Camp Pendleton and his eventual transfer to Navy Yard, is currently uncertain. However, it’s great to know that NCIS: Origins‘ overall story is thoughtfully planned in order to be able to tell a compelling story with very minimal impact on canon.
NCIS: Origins season 3 airs every Tuesday, 10 PM ET, on CBS.
NCIS: Origins – Season 3
7/10
- Release Date
-
October 6, 2026
- Episodes
-
2
