After learning one key story detail about NCIS: Origins, I’m now convinced that we actually need Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ prequel series. While it’s exciting to watch the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) solve Navy-related crimes, I believe the series’ main draw is its characters and their dynamic. Over the years, my favorite NCIS cast member has changed from time to time. The police procedural is technically an ensemble series, and luckily, CBS has been able to make sure that every player in the show has their own appeal. That said, Mark Harmon’s Gibbs was and remains its poster character.
Just like long-time cast member Sean Murray, I never thought that the CBS show could move forward without Gibbs. Amid all cast reshuffles, he brought stability to NCIS. Somehow, I always felt like the agency would go on just as long as Gibbs was there. Then, Harmon officially left in NCIS season 19, and the show continued. It was sad, but at least CBS gave him a satisfying send-off. A couple of years later, the character will be back on the small screen. I have had conflicting feelings about it, but now, I believe we actually need NCIS: Origins.
Gibbs & Franks Story Justifies NCIS: Origins’ Existence
NCIS: Origins Will Establish The Beginning Of Gibbs & Franks’ Unbreakable Bond
I’m aware of the criticisms plaguing NCIS: Origins, and interestingly, the people making the show also do. Doing a Gibbs prequel may seem like a way to continuously milk the character, even though he was already front and center for 19 years in the flagship series. There’s also the issue of NCIS: Origins essentially replacing NCIS: Hawai’i on CBS’ programming schedule. As a consumer, I’m more interested in whether this story needs to be told. Gibbs thrived in secrecy, and I thought NCIS revealed enough about his past to love him as a character.
My concern was that NCIS: Origins may not have anything new to offer. As its true leading man, its parent series tackled the major points of his past, including the murder of Shannon and Kelly, his first wife and daughter, and is arguably Gibbs’ darkest story. Worse, it may reveal something that would be detrimental to Gibbs’ 19-year history on the small screen. Ultimately, my fears were quelled when producers David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal revealed that the beginning of Gibbs’ relationship with Mike Franks would be an integral storyline in NCIS: Origins.
While the original NCIS show put Gibbs and Franks at the center of its storytelling multiple times throughout Harmon’s time in the project, it only scratched the surface of their dynamic.
I realized that it was something that I actually wanted to see. While the original NCIS show put Gibbs and Franks at the center of its storytelling multiple times throughout Harmon’s time in the project, it only scratched the surface of their dynamic. We still don’t know how exactly they became the solid team that they eventually became. That is what NCIS: Origins is promising to show, and that in itself is enough justification for its existence, at least for me.
How Mike Franks Is Integral To Gibbs’ Overall NCIS Story
Being Franks’ Mentee Shaped Gibbs’ Leadership Style In MCRT
Despite eventually spearheading his team in the original NCIS series, it was clear during the handful of scenes between Muse Watson and Harmon as older versions of their respective characters that Gibbs continued to look up to Franks even though it had been long since their Camp Pendleton team split up. When Gibbs almost died in NCIS season 3, he turned to his old mentor for support. They even lived together in Mexico for a brief period. Because Gibbs’ relationship with his dad was fractured for years, Franks became his dad, brother, friend, and colleague all rolled into one.
Watson was never a series regular in NCIS, but it was always a great time every time he appeared. Aside from the plots, I particularly enjoyed his incredible chemistry with Harmon, which made it easier to sell their relationship. Because of this, I am cautiously optimistic that the same dynamic will shine through as Kyle Schmid’s young Franks and Austin Stowell’s young Gibbs front NCIS: Origins’ storytelling.
What Happened To Mike Franks In The Original NCIS Show
Franks’ Story Ended In NCIS Season 8
Unlike Gibbs, however, who was able to retire and start a quiet life in Naktok Bay, Alaska, Franks met his end in NCIS season 8. He was fatally stabbed in the chest by ‘Port-to-Port’ killer Jonas Cobb. Even after Franks died, the show found a way to keep bringing Watsons back. He kept on appearing to Gibbs as a vision, helping him navigate difficult points in his professional and personal life. Franks would come out when his “probie” was making life-altering decisions. As NCIS: Origins revisits their relationship, I am hoping that the prequel can make those moments extra special.