“NCIS” and Mark Harmon are closely connected. Harmon played the role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs on “NCIS” for a significant portion of its current run, which was longer at the time of his departure than practically any other actor had ever stayed with a single role outside of the soap opera industry.
Harmon has portrayed Gibbs in all 435 episodes of “NCIS.” Since “NCIS” is a spin-off of “JAG,” Harmon makes his character debut in two episodes of “JAG” that air before the premiere of “NCIS,” therefore theoretically, his total number of appearances as the character is even higher. Additionally, he appears in four episodes of “NCIS: New Orleans,” bringing the total number of canonical Gibbs appearances to 441. Harmon even lends his voice to a fictional “NCIS” broadcast that appears in a “Family Guy” episode, thus adding one more episode to the Gibbs counter.
Harmon’s final appearance as Gibbs is in “NCIS” Season 19, Episode 4. That said, he isn’t done with the show entirely. Past his Season 19 exit and continuing through Season 20, Harmon is credited as a producer, extending his influence on the hit procedural beyond his impressive 435-episode run.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs will most likely return
While Mark Harmon is no longer a part of the main “NCIS” cast, the probability of his return at some point in the show’s future is high. In conjunction with his final episode premiering on CBS, Entertainment Tonight interviewed showrunner Steven D. Binder about Harmon’s exit. Binder was quick to leave the door open for the seasoned actor to reprise his iconic role. “Regarding the future of Gibbs, as longtime fans of the show may have noticed over the years… never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out,” he said.
While writing “Ghosts of Honolulu,” a non-fiction book about espionage in World War II, Harmon decided against returning to “NCIS” at one point, according to an unnamed source who claimed to know Harmon. “Mark’s been teasing a return to the show and everyone wanted him back,” they stated. “He’s still on the fence when it comes to going back to the grind.”
Future appearances by Gibbs appear to be of great interest to both Harmon and the “NCIS” producers. Therefore, the most pressing question regarding the character’s future is not whether he would return, but rather when.
