Beloved crime-fighting procedural NCIS has seen its fair share of casting changes since its 2003 debut. Its impressive longevity is only surpassed by Law & Order, and its characters have long since entered the public consciousness. Ask anyone if they know who Leroy Jethro Gibbs is; they’ll likely say they do. It is, quite simply, one of the most iconic procedurals of the century. Following Mark Harmon’s recent departure, only one original cast member remains on NCIS: Timothy McGee (Sean Murray). Like the show’s devoted fans, DiNozzon has weathered the series’ many staffing changes. He’s also seen a few different NCIS Directors.
One of the most impactful of these leaders was Director Jennifer “Jenny” Shepard (Lauren Holly). Her on-screen tenure as the agency’s leader began in 2005 and ended in 2007. However, her most famous moment on the show was also her last. Her violent death halfway through the Season 3 finale dealt a moral and physical blow to the team. However, recent developments suggest this may not be her last appearance in the NCIS universe.
NCIS: Origins Is the Franchise’s First U.S.-Based Spinoff
Beyond her role as an acting NCIS Director, Shepard has also appeared as a ghost or hallucination in various episodes.
During Shepard’s debut season, only seven of the 17 episodes did not include Holly’s character.
Shepard has been in or was mentioned in 53 NCIS episodes as of Season 12.
On October 11, 2024, CBS debuted its first US-based spin-off of NCIS, aptly titled NCIS: Origins. This new series follows a young Leroy Gibbs (Austin Stowell) as he rises through the titular agency’s ranks. According to its official summary, Origins begins with Gibbs’ arrival at Camp Pendleton in 1991. Per the dedicated NCIS fanbase’s speculative analyses, that means the show will likely span the early- to mid-1990s.
As a prequel, the show has an entirely new cast and setup. Its older setting forces its characters to use appropriately antiquated — or, perhaps, “classical” — investigative techniques. Likewise, its crimes are not as technologically advanced as those seen in the current NCIS series.
Nonetheless, there are a few familiar faces. Kyle Schmid plays a young Mike Franks, who first appeared in a flashback during “Hiatus Part 1.” Then, beyond Gibbs’ physical appearance, Origins features narration from Mark Harmon. Fans have even caught a glimpse of a young Tobias Fornell (Lucas Dixon). Of course, these appearances align with the established NCIS timeline. Gibbs has stated as much, and his flashbacks corroborate the narrative.
Now, NCIS has literal decades of lore — both canonically and in the real world. There’s a lot of information to absorb, and even the most devoted fans will likely forget some details. So, it’s worth a quick review.
According to NCIS’ established timeline, Gibbs’ wife and daughter became tragic collateral casualties of a cartel investigation. At this point, he was serving as a United States Marine, and was injured shortly after receiving this news and flown back to America. Understandably distraught and seeking vengeance, Gibbs left the military and joined the Naval Investigative Services (NIS) in August 1991.
That career change is where NCIS: Origins kicks off its story. Gibbs is handed the rank of Probationary Agent and sent to work under Mike Franks at Camp Pendleton. During this time, he undergoes rigorous training to transform him from a Gunnery Sergeant into a Special Agent. But here’s the catch: None of these events include Jenny Shepard. So, where does she appear in the Origins continuity?
Jenny Shepard’s Potential Role in NCIS: Origins
Following her departure from the NICS crew, Holly joined the main cast of Motive, a Canadian cop show.
Holly’s final physical appearance on NCIS was “Judgment Day Part 1,” the eighteenth episode of NCIS’s fifth season.
Lauren Holly has three adopted sons.
Based on a combination of known canonical information and fan speculation, Shepard’s role is unlikely to begin anytime soon. In fact, the former NCIS Director’s personal history won’t overlap with Gibbs’ for a few more in-universe years. But that doesn’t mean fans have given up on seeing Shepard again; many have even expressed excitement for her eventual appearance. As for the specifics, it seems Origins’ Gibbs will need to wait another four years to meet his future boss.
In NCIS canon, Shepard’s tenure spans from 2005 to 2008. Like Gibbs, her interest in the agency stems from a personal connection. She wants to find and implicate a French arms dealer for her father’s murder. By the end of her on-screen lifespan, she has successfully found and killed her target, “La Grenouille” (Armand Assante), and suffers from an unspecified but incurable disease.
However, long before these events, Shepard and Gibbs cross paths in Paris. She is known to have obtained the title of NIS Special Agent by 1999. Gibbs says as much, noting that he had a brief romantic relationship with her as they searched for Svetlana Chernitskaya (Kathleen Gati). Their romance blossomed for a while and continued as the duo was dispatched on a variety of missions. Of course, the feelings fizzled out. Per his own rule, the pair’s split was meant to be permanent. Their reunion on Season 3 of NCIS is awkward, though Gibbs still has fond memories of their time together.
Despite her mildly controversial death, many fans were intrigued by Gibbs’ romantic flashbacks. They wanted to learn more about Shepard and see how she influenced the indomitable Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
That said, some fans are still skeptical. Even over a decade after Shepard’s death, some viewers still consider the pivotal shootout a narrative disappointment. Despite her growth, Shepard’s tenure was cut off; she lost her chance to grow alongside her team. Thus, some viewers think her eventual appearance could further cheapen an already frustrating on-screen death.
Nonetheless, this is all still speculation. NCIS: Origins is still in its infancy. It’s shown a clear dedication to its source material, but that can’t save it from a network’s axe. Right now, its timeline is still firmly planted at the beginning of the ‘90s, and its story must span another nine years before introducing Jenny.
Whether or not Origins will survive to see the in-universe turn of the century is a matter of chance and viewership. So far, the series is enjoying plenty of praise and some well-deserved hype. Fans are eager to see more, and they’re more than willing to retread old territory to learn about Gibbs. However, if the show survives that long, Shepard won’t be the only re-introduction.
The last year of the twentieth century also marks Gibbs’ first run-in with another future boss: Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll). While there’s some ambiguity surrounding their potential interactions in the past, both Vance and Gibbs sought out Russian arms dealer Anatoly Zhukov (Andrew Kirsanov) under Operation: Trident.
