Mark Harmon Back as Gibbs in NCIS: Origins Season 3

Mark Harmon will return as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs for a season-long arc in the upcoming third season of the prequel series NCIS: Origins. The new season is scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 10:00 p.m. ET/9:00 p.m. CT on CBS, with episodes also available for streaming on Paramount+.

Season 3 will present two parallel narratives. The first will follow a younger Gibbs investigating a case at Camp Pendleton in the 1990s, while the second storyline will see the modern-day Gibbs picking up the investigation years later. This season will consist of 10 episodes, a reduction from the 18 episodes of the first two seasons.

The premiere date of October 6, 2026, marks a significant night for NCIS fans, as the original NCIS series and the new spin-off NCIS: New York will also debut new episodes. The return of Harmon to the franchise, even in a limited capacity, is anticipated by many viewers.