The NCISverse has been a hot topic as of late thanks to the cancellation of NCIS: Hawaii (which seems to be final), NCIS: Tony & Ziva finding its Tali and going into production, and the highly anticipated release of NCIS: Origins, the prequel series will follow Gibbs’ early days as an agent in the ’90s and sees Mark Harmon returning to the franchise to narrate the show.
NCIS: Origins is in a unique position to fill in the blanks regarding not only Gibbs’ past but also those he loved and worked with when he was a younger man. Granted, there’s been concern that the series may rewrite history since the flagship did recount and expand on his backstory for the 19 seasons that Harmon was on the show. However, if done right, the prequel has the opportunity to enrich what we already know about the beloved character.
The same can be said for the younger versions of NCIS characters fans have known for decades–his father Jackson, Mike Franks the NCIS Major Case Response Team lead, and Franks’ partner Special Agent Vera Strickland. Now, thanks to an update from NCIS: Origins co-showrunners David North and Gina Monreal, it looks like the prequel may introduce younger versions of characters from the franchise’s spin-offs like NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Los Angeles.
In his latest scoop, TVLine’s Matt Webb Mitovich shared Dwayne Pride and Hetty Lange could make an appearance on the prequel down the line. As North put it, “I don’t think we want to say no to anything,” which isn’t confirmation the two will show up but it’s not off the table.
It’s highly likely Pride is set for some kind of cameo or arc in NCIS: Origins since he and Gibbs were a part of the Fed Five who took down the Privileged Killer and, according to the fandom wiki, had known each other prior to becoming NIS agents. Hetty’s introduction, however, may be a bit trickier to accomplish though the writers could always lean on making it happen through Callen at some point in the future if the series goes on for years.
Fans of NCIS: Los Angeles have been clamoring for Hetty to make a return to the NCISverse since the series ended and a proper on-screen send-off didn’t happen because Linda Hunt wasn’t available. While an appearance on NCIS: Origins isn’t what fans hoped for, it’s still a chance to see a young Hetty in action and learn more about what she was up to in the ’90s (and potentially the aughts).
Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more news and follow us on X. We’d love to hear what you’re excited to see in the prequel series and who you hope pops up on the show.
