NCIS Officially Unveils Dead Original Series Character's Return

Published Nov 12, 2026, 7:10 AM EST

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Leroy Jethro Gibbs is haunted again in the NCIS franchise.

CBS's fall 2026 slate is significantly bolstered by the excellent showing of its longest-running procedural universe. After a period of disarray, the people behind NCIS seem to have finally figured out how to get the world back to its golden years, with the flagship, NCIS: New York, and NCIS: Origins offering something special to the public every week. Helped by nostalgia, thanks to the returns of major franchise players, CBS's Super Tuesday lineup is the most formidable on network TV right now.

While all three shows have given fans something to look forward to, NCIS: Origins season 3 is specifically on a brilliant run. Anchored by the full-time return of Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the prequel series tackles two separate timelines. Austin Stowell continues his journey as young Gibbs in Camp Pendleton while his older counterpart gets to the bottom of a major conspiracy in the present time. Moving forward, however, those two timelines will finally converge with NCIS: Origins' most creative installment to date.

CBS (via TVPromos) has finally released the trailer for NCIS: Origins season 3, episode 6, "Shot Through The Heart," unveiling Muse Watson's return as Mike Franks. For context, Gibbs' mentor originally died 16 years ago in the flagship's "Swan Song," although the flagship has brought him back in various capacities since then. Kyle Schmid impressively plays the younger version of the character in NCIS: Origins, but this is the first time that Watson is on a proper comeback, complete with a confrontation with Harmon's Gibbs after Lala's fate bombshell. Watch the clip below:

NCIS: Origins and NCIS's crossover event from the 2025-2026 cycle brought back Watson, but it wasn't anything more but for visuals. This time, the actor is actively involved in what's happening. Considering the character's present-day fate plus what's revealed in the aforementioned video, it does seem like showrunner David J. North is pulling inspiration from NCIS's 200th episode, "Life Before His Eyes," which saw Gibbs have a full conversation with Franks during a life-and-death situation. Arguably one of the best outings of NCIS, the hour featured key people in Harmon's character's life, allowing him to look back at how things had panned out for him.

Watson is one of the three confirmed flagship actors to debut in NCIS: Origins season 3. After "Shot Through The Heart," CBS is bringing in Roma Maffia as Vera Strickland and Joe Spano as Tobias Fornell. Since both characters are still alive in the current timeline, NCIS: Origins doesn't have to be as creative with their respective reunions with Harmon's Gibbs. Based on the promotional photos for those upcoming episodes, it appears like they're reteaming with the MCRT legend to get into the bottom of the ongoing professional and personal mystery.

At this point, NCIS: Origins season 3 has officially crossed its midpoint. So anything big that will happen moving forward will hopefully be part of the eventual ending of this ongoing arc. It's imperative that the prequel offers concrete evidence about Lala's current state, although whether she gets to have her happy ending with Old Gibbs remains to be seen. Beyond that, there's also hope that somehow, Harmon's return could have a bigger impact on the bigger NCIS franchise, considering how missed he was.

NCIS: Origins

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  Austin Stowell

  Leroy Jethro Gibbs

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  Kyle Schmid

  Special Agent Mike Franks