The story unfolds in 1991 at Camp Pendleton, California, where Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) transitions from the Marines to join the new NIS team in the prequel series, NCIS: Origins. Off-screen, a voice states, “If he’s not up to snuff, cut him loose. He failed his psych eval. That is the definition of crazy.” To this, a reply—possibly from Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid)—comes, “If my wife and daughter were murdered, I’d be crazy, too.” Despite his grief over the murder of his wife Shannon and daughter Kelly by drug dealer Pedro Hernandez, Gibbs starts his career as a probie, joining a rough-and-ready team led by the renowned Mike Franks.
Narrated by Mark Harmon, who played Gibbs on the main series, the story reveals that no matter how much one tries to move on, a clean slate is elusive. The trailer also introduces the concept of the Gibbs gut, with Franks advising, “If you’ve got a gut feeling, you share it with the group.” Additionally, Robert Taylor portrays Jackson Gibbs, Gibbs’ father, who doubts his son’s suitability as a Navy cop. This portrayal contrasts with the NCIS series where Jackson’s disconnection from Gibbs is rooted in his behavior at Shannon and Kelly’s funeral.
NCIS: Origins stars Caleb Foote as Special Agent Randy Randolf, Mariel Molino as Special Agent Cecilia ‘Lala’ Dominguez, Bobby Moynihan as lead forensics analyst Woody Browne, Tyla Abercrumbie as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Hayes, Daniel Bellomy as Granville “Granny” Dawson, and Lori Petty as Dr. Lenora Friedman, the assistant medical examiner. The series premieres on Monday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS with two back-to-back episodes.
