CBS had lofty casting plans for Leroy Jethro Gibbs but had it followed its original scheme, NCIS would have ended up looking so much different.
NCIS’ original plans for Leroy Jethro Gibbs would have significantly changed the beloved police procedural. With its recent 20th anniversary, CBS’ longest-running police procedural surpassed NBC’s Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order to become one of the longest-running scripted American primetime television shows. NCIS, which made its debut in 2003, was the network’s attempt to keep up with the popularity of crime shows, especially Dick Wolf’s Law & Order series on NBC. Despite a sluggish beginning, it soon gained momentum, with the show moving up the ratings ladder. Given its enduring appeal, it makes sense that CBS would want to broadcast it for as long as possible.
NCIS’s co-creators Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill discovered a method to set the squad apart from its rivals by having them concentrate on cases involving members of the US Navy and US Marine Corps and their families. It has undergone several cast changes, with many cast members leaving over the years, including Caitlin Todd played by Sasha Alexander who left after season 2, Anthony DiNozzo played by Michael Weatherly who left at the end of season 13, and Abby Sciuto played by Pauley Perretter who stayed on until season 15. Despite their departures, however, NCIS continued to thrive because Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs remained the team’s undisputable leader.
How Gibbs Would Be Different If Harrison Ford Had Been Cast In NCIS
NCIS is technically an ensemble series because the team that handles the highly specialized cases is referenced in the title of the program. That said, until his departure at the conclusion of season 19, Harmon’s Gibbs served as the face of the CBS procedural, much like Mariska Hargitay is for Law & Order: SVU and Shemar Moore’s Hondo Harrelson for SWAT. Harmon has been playing Gibbs for almost two decades, and he has done so brilliantly that it is difficult to fathom anybody else taking on the part. Harmon wasn’t the initial choice for the position, as it turns out.
According to executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson, Gibbs’ character was created with Harrison Ford playing him in mind. It isn’t difficult to imagine why the show’s creators thought the legendary movie star to lead the special agents. By the time that the procedural was being developed, Ford was already an established actor, mostly known for his heroic but edgy characters. Johnson admitted that the idea didn’t go further beyond Ford being the placeholder character for Gibbs. The role was not offered to the actor. In any case, NCIS landed the closest thing to Ford with someone like Harmon, who exemplified the same feel that they were going for Gibbs.
Gibbs Wouldn’t Have Been In NCIS As Much With Harrison Ford
Bellisario initially had his doubts about Harmon’s performance as Gibbs in NCIS. He reconsidered his decision, though, after watching a tape of Harmon as Simon Donovan on The West Wing. The decision by the producers to choose Harmon in the lead character of the procedural had additional advantage besides the fact that he was the ideal Gibbs. Harmon was able to comfortably commit to over two decades on NCIS because his acting career has always been entwined with the small screen. Ford would probably not be able to commit that much time to the movie if Bellisario and company approached him for the part.
When NCIS debuted in 2003, Ford had already firmly established himself as a movie star, headlining a blockbuster year after year for two decades. He didn’t do any long-form series; for context, Ford didn’t have a main TV role until 2022’s Yellowstone prequel, 1923. Even if Ford accepted the offer to play Gibbs on NCIS, it’s unlikely that he would be able to devote his time to a project that is in production for around 9 to 10 months a year while also maintaining his big screen portfolio. He would have to eventually choose which media form to prioritize.
While it’s difficult to exactly say which format Ford would have chosen, it isn’t a reach to assume that he would have chosen the big screen, where he was already a known name. If it came to Ford leaving the police procedural, this could have meant the unceremonious end of NCIS, considering how central Gibbs was in its storytelling. Otherwise, NCIS would have needed to go for long periods of time without the team’s leader to accommodate Ford’s movie career. This would have been better than the show being canceled, but chances are, it would negatively impact its storytelling quality.
Harrison Ford Could Have Impacted Other NCIS Castings
While Harmon’s Gibbs had long been the face of NCIS, the show’s success cannot be attributed to just a singular character. This means that a big part of the show’s appeal is the chemistry among the characters. Gibbs’ dynamic with his agents made it easy for viewers to get invested in the project, regardless of the cases that they tackled weekly. His relationship with Tony DiNozzo was particularly a big fan-favorite. Their mentor-mentee relationship eventually evolved into a father-and-son bond, albeit also involving the trademarked head slap gag. Similarly, Gibbs’ friendship with Donald “Ducky” Mallard, which predates the events of NCIS, is another core relationship in the series.
Having starred in countless iconic films such as the original Star Wars trilogy, Blade Runner, the Indiana Jones franchise, and The Fugitive, there was no doubt that Ford was a much bigger celebrity compared to Harmon. Getting him involved in NCIS would have drawn much more attention to the series. However, it’s uncertain if he would have the same chemistry with the rest of the cast as Harmon did. Aside from possible scheduling issues due to his equally active movie career, Ford’s potential lack of chemistry with his co-stars could have resulted in the early end of NCIS.
It’s Ultimately Better That Harrison Ford Wasn’t Cast As Gibbs In NCIS
Ultimately, everything turned out for the better for both NCIS and Ford. Giving the role of Gibbs to Harmon was arguably one of the most important decisions in the show. After two decades, it’s just difficult to consider anyone else playing the role better than Harmon did, and that says a lot since he was up against one of the most iconic movie stars ever. Meanwhile, Ford’s big screen career continued in the 2000s. Had he been locked to do NCIS, it’s unlikely that he would have been able to be as active in film as he was.
While Harmon’s Gibbs had long been the face of NCIS, the show’s success cannot be attributed to just a singular character. This means that a big part of the show’s appeal is the chemistry among the characters. Gibbs’ dynamic with his agents made it easy for viewers to get invested in the project, regardless of the cases that they tackled weekly. His relationship with Tony DiNozzo was particularly a big fan-favorite. Their mentor-mentee relationship eventually evolved into a father-and-son bond, albeit also involving the trademarked head slap gag. Similarly, Gibbs’ friendship with Donald “Ducky” Mallard, which predates the events of NCIS, is another core relationship in the series.
Having starred in countless iconic films such as the original Star Wars trilogy, Blade Runner, the Indiana Jones franchise, and The Fugitive, there was no doubt that Ford was a much bigger celebrity compared to Harmon. Getting him involved in NCIS would have drawn much more attention to the series. However, it’s uncertain if he would have the same chemistry with the rest of the cast as Harmon did. Aside from possible scheduling issues due to his equally active movie career, Ford’s potential lack of chemistry with his co-stars could have resulted in the early end of NCIS.
It’s Ultimately Better That Harrison Ford Wasn’t Cast As Gibbs In NCIS
Ultimately, everything turned out for the better for both NCIS and Ford. Giving the role of Gibbs to Harmon was arguably one of the most important decisions in the show. After two decades, it’s just difficult to consider anyone else playing the role better than Harmon did, and that says a lot since he was up against one of the most iconic movie stars ever. Meanwhile, Ford’s big screen career continued in the 2000s. Had he been locked to do NCIS, it’s unlikely that he would have been able to be as active in film as he was.