Mark Harmon’s NCIS Exit Explained: What Happened To Gibbs?
NCIS agent Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) left the team in season 19; here’s why, and what the actor’s future looks like on the hit CBS show.
Why did Mark Harmon leave NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service in season 19? Mark Harmon has been the face of NCIS as Special Agent In Charge Leroy Jethro Gibbs since its inception in 2003, so his departure changed the show’s dynamic from that point on. While Harmon continued to serve as an Executive Producer on the series despite Gibbs’ absence from the show, his character remained out of the picture. NCIS currently holds the honor as CBS’ longest-running scripted primetime series, following the lives and adventures of the federal special agents responsible for investigating serious military crimes, preventing terrorism, and protecting secrets for the Navy and Marine Corps.
Created by Don McGill and prolific creator-producer Donald P. Bellisario, the man behind Detroit Lions baseball cap-sporting Magnum P.I. — among many others — NCIS has featured many significant cast departures over its storied 18 years, but none as impactful as Harmon’s. CBS is no stranger to replacing leading faces on their series, but NCIS somehow survived without Agent Gibbs, although he is still missed. Harmon’s departure came early in season 19, leaving CBS with plenty of time to see if the show could work without him.
How Gibbs’ Final NCIS Storyline Played Out
To answer why did Gibbs leave NCIS in storyline terms, his last case had been long in the making. In Harmon’s penultimate episode, the team discovered the murders they thought were perpetrated by a serial killer were actually at the hands of a hired hitman (Jason Wiles). After ditching FBI Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole), Gibbs took the hitman where he wanted to go in exchange for information. The killer blew himself up, but only after revealing he was responsible for destroying Gibbs’ boat, and not before telling Gibbs who hired him.
Gibbs traveled to Naktok, Alaska, where the investigation led him to Sonova Industries, whose pending copper mining project threatened to wreck the area. After learning Sonova’s CEO, Sonia Eberhart (Valarie Pettiford), hired the hitman to kill everyone who might reveal details of the environmental damage the mine would cause, Gibbs and the NCIS team close in on evidence to put her away for the death of the journalist investigate it.
Why Gibbs Decided To Leave NCIS
The NCIS episode features key moments between Gibbs and his team, including Nick Torres played by Wilmer Valderrama (who returned as Fez in That ’90s Show). The team moments were interspersed throughout the episode, clearly foreshadowing Gibbs’ departure. The fact that he dumped the phone he’d carried for so long inside a coffee mug before leaving certainly indicated he knew he wouldn’t need it after this case.
However, Gibbs’ plan wasn’t to retire. After ditching the FBI and helping the hitman get to where he wanted to die, Gibbs had broken the law. He had every intention of serving time for his crime — he even told Parker right where to find him. That wasn’t the way Gibbs’ time on NCIS would end. He didn’t deserve that fate, so after Parker saw all the good Gibbs had done, he disobeyed orders to arrest him, which cost him his job. Gibbs decided to remain there because he had found peace. The first peace he’d felt since the deaths of his wife and daughter, and he wasn’t willing to let that feeling go.
Why Mark Harmon Left NCIS After 18 Seasons
As for why did Gibbs leave NCIS in real life, Harmon was ready to move on in NCIS season 18. He negotiated a limited appearance at the top of season 19 to make sure the series was renewed. As a producer and long-time veteran of the franchise, he’s invested in the series’ future. Vacating early at the top of a season instead of leaving at the end of another gave NCIS the best shot at being renewed. NCIS had time to prove it could keep an audience without Harmon. Since Agent Parker was fired for helping Gibbs, he found a job waiting for him at NCIS.
