NCIS: Origins — next episode, cast, plot and everything we know about the NCIS prequel series

Austin Stowell and Mariel Molino in NCIS: Origins
Austin Stowell and Mariel Molino in NCIS: Origins (Image credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS)

NCIS has been one of the most successful CBS shows of all time. Across its flagship series and various spinoffs (NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: Hawai'i and NCIS: Sydney), there have been more than a thousand episodes of the NCIS team solving crimes. A brand-new spinoff is going to add to that number with NCIS: Origins.

As the name would suggest, NCIS: Origins is going back in time a bit, as the latest spinoff is set to be a prequel series focused around the most iconic character in the franchise, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, famously portrayed by Mark Harmon for more than 400 episodes in the original series. But what else lies in store for NCIS: Origins?

Read on to get all the information we you need on the new CBS crime drama.

NCIS: Origins next episode

There is no episode of NCIS: Origins, new or rerun, on Monday, November 18. Instead, CBS is airing a rerun of The Neighborhood at NCIS: Origins' 10 pm start time to make way for a special behind the scene look at Gladiator 2 that the network is airing at 10:30 pm ET/PT.

In order to watch NCIS: Origins live, you must have access to CBS, which can be done if you have a traditional pay-TV provider, a TV antenna or a live TV streaming service that carries CBS (i.e., Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV). Paramount Plus is another option to watch NCIS: Origins, as all episodes will stream on the service on-demand the day after each new episode for all subscribers, but Paramount Plus with Showtime Subscribers can also tune in line.

NCIS: Origins cast

Stepping into Harmon's shoes to play the young Gibbs is going to be Austin Stowell. This is not Stowell's first time appearing on an NCIS show, as he previously guest-starred in an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. Among his other credits are roles in Dolphin Tale, Whiplash, Bridge of Spies, Battle of the Sexes, 12 Strong, Catch-22 and A Friend of the Family.

Here are some of the other confirmed cast members and who they are playing:

  • Kyle Schmid (Big Sky) as Mike Franks
  • Mariel Molino (The Watchful Eye) as Special Agent Lala Dominguez
  • Tyla Abercrumbie (The Chi) as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Sullivan
  • Diany Rodriguez (The Blacklist) as Special Agent Vera Strickland
  • Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) as Woodrow "Woody" Browne
  • Lori Petty (Orange Is the New Black) as Dr. Lenora Friedman

Fans may also be pleased to know that Harmon is going to provide narration for the show.

NCIS: Origins plot

Here is the synopsis for NCIS: Origins provided by CBS:

"NCIS: Origins follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by Mark Harmon. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks."

David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, both long-time producers on NCIS, are serving as executive producers (along with Harmon) and showrunners for the new spinoff, including co-writing the first episode. Niels Arden Oplev, who has directed episodes of Vikings: Valhalla and FBI as well as the Swedish The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is also an executive producer and is directing the pilot episode.

NCIS: Origins trailer

Watch the trailer for NCIS: Origins right here:

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Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.