Mark Harmon’s Gibbs and His Unlocked Door: Insights from NCIS Co-Stars
Mark Harmon’s portrayal of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS” includes a distinctive quirk: leaving his front door unlocked. This detail, often noticed by fans, has now been explained by Harmon’s former co-stars on the podcast Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch.
In a recent episode, hosts Cote de Pablo (Ziva David) and Michael Weatherly (Tony DiNozzo) were joined by Sean Murray, who shed light on this aspect of Gibbs’ character. According to de Pablo, Gibbs’ habit of leaving his door unlocked is a reflection of his past trauma. She explained that Gibbs’ loss of his family led him to believe that nothing worse could happen to him, making him indifferent to locking his door. “The answer is because he has already lost what was most important to him, so he actually doesn’t care,” de Pablo noted.
Exploring Gibbs’ Backstory
The upcoming series NCIS: Origins, set to premiere this fall, will delve deeper into Gibbs’ background. Austin Stowell will portray a younger Gibbs, with Mark Harmon returning as the narrator through voiceover. The series will focus on Gibbs’ early days with the NIS Camp Pendleton office, led by Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid). Harmon and his son, Sean Harmon, are executive producers for the show.
Additionally, Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly are reuniting for the new spinoff series NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which will stream on Paramount+. This series will follow Tony and Ziva as they navigate a new chapter in Europe, although it remains to be seen if other familiar NCIS characters will make appearances.
While NCIS continues to thrive with its upcoming 22nd season, despite Harmon’s departure as a series regular, the franchise is expanding with new ventures. NCIS: Sydney, an Australian spinoff, has been renewed for a second season after its 2023 debut. However, NCIS: Hawai’i was canceled after three seasons, unable to compete with the other shows in the franchise.
