Although he left NCIS in season 19, Mark Harmon’s Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs has still been on everyone’s minds. While it was fun to see Gibbs’s brief appearance in the NCIS: Origins premiere, fans would wish they could see him on the original series again. Harmon’s character has a calm and peaceful presence onscreen that is still missed today, and as long as NCIS is on the air, viewers are going to wonder if he’s really finished with the franchise.
Harmon’s fans can look forward to seeing him in the Disney sequel Freakier Friday, which will be released on August 8th, 2025. But Gibbs was also part of a recent NCIS episode, and there’s a lot to unpack.
Did Mark Harmon Come Back To NCIS Season 22, Episode 19?
While Mark Harmon didn’t return, Leroy Gibbs was featured in NCIS season 22, episode 19, “Irreconcilable Differences.” Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) is having a rough time staying up late and working on a case involving Deputy Director LaRoche (Seamus Dever). While McGee tries to find out if his instincts about LaRoche are right, McGee dreams about Gibbs. He sees Gibbs in a basement, looks at a postcard of Alaska, and even wears the sweatshirt that Harmon’s character loved. In a hilarious scene, Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) says he had a dream about Gibbs, too, and Gibbs said he “should stop slouching.”
The NCIS season 22, episode 19 dream sequence is memorable, haunting, and significant. While of course fans wish they had seen Harmon reprise his role as the best NCIS seasons put the spotlight on Gibbs, this was the next best thing. Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) shares the meaning behind McGee’s dream: McGee is nervous and wondering if he can ever do his job as well as Gibbs did.
Gibbs had several rules for life and work, and his beliefs were referenced later in the episode. When McGee is arrested after LaRoche accuses him of harassment, McGee writes down Rule #45 on a piece of paper. As fans of NCIS know, this rule means:
“Left a mess I gotta clean up.”
In his calm and measured way, Gibbs inspired his teammates to see the cracks in the cases that others couldn’t and to keep working hard, even when they were unsure that they could. It’s nice to see that even though Gibbs moved to Alaska, his teammates will never forget him, and they appreciate the lessons he taught them.
Did Mark Harmon Retire From Acting After Leaving NCIS?
In a 2023 interview with Parade, Mark Harmon shared that while he hasn’t stopped acting entirely, he’s careful about what parts he says yes to. He said:
“No, I never retired. As far as I know, if you’re talking about Gibbs, he’s living in Alaska. If you’re talking about Mark, he’s home doing what he always did, which is read things.”
Harmon added that after he has seen so much career success, he’s able to turn down projects if they don’t appeal to him. The actor said:
“I’m appreciative of having that choice. I don’t see myself as retired. If the right thing comes along, I’ll probably go to work, and if it doesn’t, I have plenty of other things to do.”
For many fans, there will always be a place for Gibbs on NCIS, and viewers would also be pleased to see Harmon make even a brief appearance on NCIS: Origins season 2.