NCIS: Origins

2024 • TMDB 7.5 • 3 seasons • 46 episodes • Crime, Drama • CBS

Where to Watch

In the US, NCIS: Origins streams on Paramount+ (all 3 seasons, including Premium, Essential, the Apple TV channel, and the Amazon Channel). The Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel carries 2 seasons, while fuboTV and YouTube TV each carry 1 season. All 3 seasons are also available to buy on Amazon Video, the Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home. Availability checked against US listings on October 29, 2026.

Overview

Long before he became the steely team leader fans know, Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a rookie trying to prove himself. NCIS: Origins rewinds to 1991, when a young Gibbs joins the fledgling NCIS office at Camp Pendleton and lands on a scrappy, rule-bending team led by the legendary Mike Franks. Still carrying the fresh wounds of personal tragedy, Gibbs throws himself into cases involving Navy personnel and their families, learning the instincts — and the gut rules — that would define his career. Narrated by an older Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, the series blends weekly investigations with a slow-burning character study of a man becoming a legend. It is a prequel that stands on its own: part 1990s period piece, part workplace drama, and a welcome return to the grounded, character-first storytelling that made NCIS a phenomenon.

Creator and Main Cast

NCIS: Origins was created by Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North.

• Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs
• Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks
• Mariel Molino as Lala Dominguez
• Tyla Abercrumbie as Mary Jo Hayes
• Diany Rodriguez as Vera Strickland
• Caleb Foote as Bernard ‘Randy’ Randolf
• Mark Harmon as Older Leroy Jethro Gibbs (voice)

Seasons Snapshot

• Season 1 (2024) — 18 episodes: Young Gibbs joins the Camp Pendleton team and begins forging his place under Mike Franks.
• Season 2 (2025) — 18 episodes: The team faces bigger cases and deeper personal stakes as Gibbs settles into the job.
• Season 3 (2026) — 10 episodes: Mark Harmon returns as Gibbs faces a new chapter, premiering October 6, 2026.

Why Watch NCIS: Origins?

NCIS: Origins works whether you have seen every episode of NCIS or none of them. Austin Stowell captures Gibbs’ quiet intensity without doing an impression, and Kyle Schmid’s Franks is a perfect mentor — gruff, funny, and haunted in his own way. The 1991 setting gives the show a distinct flavor, from the pre-digital investigations to the old-school office dynamics, while the narration from Mark Harmon ties the past to the present with real emotional weight. If you like procedural cases with heart, and character arcs that build season over season, this prequel earns its place in the NCIS universe.

Trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube: