NCIS: Origins explores Gibbs’ past as a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in 1991. The deaths of Shannon and Kelly Gibbs are the reason Gibbs joined NIS, and their story will be central to the spinoff series.
The spinoff will delve into Gibbs’ complex backstory, including his relationship with his father, and how it was impacted by the tragic loss of his wife and daughter. Behind Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ hard exterior lies a complex and tragic past formed by these events. Mark Harmon’s character, who was the face of the franchise for 19 years, will receive the spotlight again in the new NCIS: Origins series.
The series will explore Gibbs’ beginning as a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), which was called NIS in 1991—a paramount year for Jethro Gibbs. This year will set the scene for the series when it premieres.
In 1991, Gibbs was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps and began his new career at NIS in the face of significant loss. Some aspects of this period are known, as there are essential Gibbs-centric NCIS episodes that begin to complete the picture of who the Special Agent in Charge is in the main series, often through flashbacks of his past. One of the most telling instances is the double episode “Hiatus” at the end of NCIS Season 3, which reveals some of the most pivotal details that shape Gibbs’ character.