The NCIS crossover event will include a rare appearance from an OG character

As the NCIS crossover event with prequel series Origins gets closer, we’re learning more and more about what to expect. In some exciting news, there’s a rare appearance from an NCIS OG.

On Tuesday, Nov. 11, NCIS: Origins will take the lead, bringing the case that is going to lead into NCIS. How is that possible? Well, the case goes cold in the 1990s, and it’s up to the present-day team to figure out the truth and solve it once and for all. What better way to handle that than to have an appearance from a beloved character?

104012_D0425bc — "Alibi" -- The NCIS team is forced to re-examine a hit-and-run murder case when a former FBI agent turned lawyer confides in Gibbs that her client’s confidential alibi is solid. Meanwhile, McGee grows suspicious of Tony’s strange behavior, on NCIS Tuesday, Nov. 12 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Mark Harmon Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Mark Harmon will reprise his role as Gibbs in NCIS: Origins

Gibbs hasn’t appeared on NCIS since his exit just four episodes into season 19. He did appear in the first episode of NCIS: Origins, but he hasn’t been seen since. However, he continues to be a big part of the prequel series, narrating the episodes as we look back at when Gibbs first joined NIS and the steps he took to become the agent we would eventually know him as.

His appearance will only happen in the NCIS: Origins episode of the two-part crossover. This does make a lot of sense considering Harmon’s bigger connection to the prequel series right now. He’s likely to be felt in the NCIS portion of the crossover, though, especially as the team realize that this was a case their former leader once worked on.

Something that we will learn is that Gibbs has been able to move forward a little in his life now that he has found peace in Alaska. It turns out that he’s not alone up there, according to Deadline. Gibbs shares that he is proud of the work on the prequel series, and when he heard of the arc being given, he was happy with it and felt like it was a good time to come back.

“I’m very proud of the storytelling that David and Gina are doing on Origins. They continue to push boundaries and dive deeper into the characters’ backstories. They came to me with an idea for Gibbs that I liked, and it seemed like a good time to check in with him. I hope fans enjoy it.”

“Enter Sandman” – NCIS: ORIGINS follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) 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 (Kyle Schmid), on the series premiere of NCIS: ORIGINS, Monday, Oct. 14 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on

NCIS and Origins will switch timeslots

The Veteran’s Day episode is going to start with NCIS: Origins, which makes sense as that’s where the case will likely originate from. We’ll see the conclusion in NCIS, which means that the two shows are switching timeslots.

This is a one-off switch on Tuesdays, and we’ll see NCIS: Sydney continue in its later timeslot of the night. The following week, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, NCIS will move back to its regular timeslot.

The NCIS and Origins crossover event will air on Tuesday, Nov. 11 starting at 8/7c on CBS.

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