Mark Harmon and Rocky Carroll, renowned for their roles as Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Leon Vance in the long-running series NCIS, had previously worked together on a different project that might have slipped under the radar for many fans. Before their iconic partnership on NCIS, they co-starred in the 1994 CBS medical drama Chicago Hope, which lasted six seasons but never achieved the same level of fame.
**What Is Chicago Hope About?**
Chicago Hope is set in a fictional private hospital in Chicago, delving into the professional and personal lives of its doctors. The series features complex and often melodramatic cases, highlighting the doctors’ struggles to manage their own issues outside the hospital. In the show, Mark Harmon plays Dr. Jack McNeil, an orthopedic surgeon, while Rocky Carroll portrays Dr. Keith Wilkes, an emergency room physician.
For those who have watched both NCIS and Chicago Hope, it is evident that the latter served as a precursor to the former, albeit with different approaches for Harmon and Carroll. Harmon’s character in Chicago Hope, Dr. McNeil, can be seen as an early iteration of his NCIS character, Gibbs. McNeil often takes charge and navigates difficult situations, similar to how Gibbs leads his team in NCIS.
On the other hand, Carroll’s role in Chicago Hope didn’t directly foreshadow his future as the NCIS Director. However, his portrayal of Dr. Wilkes can be seen as a foundation for his more serious and developed character, Leon Vance, in NCIS.
Although Mark Harmon is no longer part of NCIS, having left in season 19 to retire in Alaska, his character’s story will continue in the upcoming spinoff NCIS: Origins. Meanwhile, Rocky Carroll’s Leon Vance is set to return in the original show’s season 22, premiering this fall on CBS.
