There are shows that are ensembles that can go on without their lead star, and then there are shows that can’t. We will find out in a few months if NCIS can survive without its leader Mark Harmon.
That is because the 70-year-old actor unceremoniously left the drama that he called home for 18 years yesterday.
“As an executive producer and dear friend, Mark continues to be an integral part of the fabric of the show. Our north star has always been staying true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we tell and where those characters go,” Steven D. Binder, NCIS Executive Producer/Showrunner, said in a statement. “So regarding the future of Gibbs, as long-time fans of the show may have noticed over the years…never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out.”
So we might see him again in May for the show’s possible series finale. We shall see. It all depends on how much of a hit it takes in the ratings due to his departure.
Are you going to miss him? And do you think he needed a better send-off? I do, and I don’t watch the procedural.
Before Mark Harmon was a star in his own right, he was doing commercials with his dad, Tom Harmon. He looks the same now as he did when he was 20 in that 1972 ad?
Mark Harmon is not getting any younger, and you can’t blame him for wanting to spend some time with his wife Pam Dawber instead of filming NCIS. After all, he has been doing the show nonstop since 2003.
Therefore, he signed on to do an 18th season. However, TV Line is reporting that he will only be doing a handful of episodes. When I say handful, a source told them, “It’s going to be in the low single digits.”
His lack of presence on the show is going to be felt big time. So how are they going to handle it? CBS has cast Gary Cole to join the procedural.
I love Cole, two words Office and Space, but this is not the right series for him. Like when Ted Danson and James Van Der Beek joined the CSI franchise. Between his casting and Vanessa Lachey leading NCIS: Hawaii, it is like CBS is ready to move away from NCIS and focus on the FBIs and the new CSI.
On March 21st, Pam Dawber and Mark Harmon are going to celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary. Then on April 6th, their marriage will experience another milestone. That is because the actress is going to guest star on her husband’s show NCIS for four episodes. This is the first time they will be working together on the series.
According to Entertainment Weekly, she will play Marcie Warren, “a seasoned investigative journalist who uses her savvy wit and down-to-earth people skills to aid in her tireless pursuit of truth.”
The actress retired from acting when she had their two kids and has only made a few TV appearances since then. Once to work with Robin Williams again on The Crazy Ones, and another time to honor Garry Marshall, who created Mork & Mindy, on The Odd Couple.
Mark Harmon is going to celebrate the big 7-0 in September, and there is a report that he is ready to leave NCIS. The actor has been playing Agent Gibbs since 2003, so you can understand the rumor.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, if he decides not to renew his contract, then he will stay on to do a few episodes for the show’s 19th season. If he leaves, then the trade says that the show will end with him.
CBS is preparing for the worst, and they are working on NCIS: Hawaii to join NCIS: LA and NCIS: NoLA. Neither of the latter shows have been picked up for another season. However, CBS has not renewed any of their series yet.
Not only is CBS working on the third spinoff from NCIS, but they are also working on bringing back CSI with William Petersen and Jorga Fox.
I am rooting for the latter to come back. It would be nice to have CSI back on the airwaves.
