Mark Harmon, best known for his iconic role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, is returning to the NCIS universe in a new way—this time as a narrator. He will lend his voice to the upcoming prequel series, NCIS: Origins, which delves into the backstory of Gibbs and his colleague Mike Franks.
Though Harmon’s character’s journey ended in the original series, his real-life connection to the NCIS world continues through a series of books he’s co-authoring. Alongside NCIS technical advisor Leon Carroll Jr., Harmon has begun developing a series that will explore real-life cases and untold stories from the world of NCIS. Their first book, Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, tells the story of Douglas Wada, the first Japanese-American NCIS agent.
Initially, Harmon wasn’t keen on writing a book about the show itself. “When they came to me and asked about writing a book, I said, ‘No,'” he shared with Parade. “But I would be interested in telling real NCIS stories, as long as Leon Carroll was involved, because he’s the person I worked with for 20 years on the show.”
The books are a natural extension of Harmon’s decades-long partnership with Carroll, who helped guide the authenticity of his portrayal of Gibbs. Their first release, Ghosts of Honolulu, launched on November 14, 2023. The duo is already working on their second book, Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, A Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion.
Harmon’s return to the NCIS world through storytelling is proving to be as successful as his role on screen, bringing real-life investigative stories to fans of the franchise.
