NCIS: Origins subtly recast two original characters for its Gibbs prequel series. The franchise announced the NCIS spinoff in early 2024, exploring the backstory of central NCIS character Leroy Jethro Gibbs as he started on NCIS in 1991. As the Monday, October 14, premiere date for the series looms, more details shed light on the series. It has been clear that the series recast Gibbs’ character with The Hating Game’s Austin Stowell, and it’s also known that Kyle Schmid is stepping into the role of Gibbs’ former partner and mentor, Mike Franks.
Additionally, the series will beckon new characters into the shared NCIS universe, like Mariel Molino’s Special Agent Lala Dominguez or Caleb Martin Foote’s Special Agent Benjamin “Randy” Randolf, tasked with showing Stowell’s young Gibbs the ropes. Still, while new characters will be essential to building out Gibbs’ story in NCIS: Origins, all eyes will be on existing characters as they debut under a new guise. And NCIS: Origins has officially recast the two most important characters in Gibbs’ origin story: Gibbs’ wife and daughter.
The NCIS: Origins Spinoff Recasts Shannon & Kelly Gibbs
In the NCIS: Origins trailer that dropped in September 2024, some clips show Gibbs’ wife and daughter, Shannon and Kelly, in flashbacks or dreams. What’s immediately apparent from the clips is that Shannon and Kelly Gibbs have new representation in NCIS: Origins. It isn’t clear how prominent their roles in the prequel series are, but the tragic circumstances surrounding their death — which Origins promises to explore — will limit their number of appearances. The trailer hints at Gibbs’ tragedy being a focus for other characters, casting doubt on Gibbs’ ability as an NCIS agent.
The original series detailed what happened to Gibbs’ wife and daughter in NCIS on the flagship. NCIS: Origins has an opportunity to explore this tragedy and how it impacted Jethro Gibbs further. It is crucial to include these characters in the new series so that NCIS: Origins can dig into the events that caused their deaths. The series will likely return to moments with Gibbs’ wife and daughter in the new series to examine his grief and better place him in time. As such, Origins can build on Gibbs’ backstory while keeping timelines cohesive.
Why NCIS: Origins Also Needs To Recast Gibbs’ First Family
It was essential for NCIS: Origins to include Shannon and Kelly Gibbs, and it was also necessary for the franchise to cast new actors to play the parts. Just like Mike Franks and Gibbs himself, the actors and characters in the original NCIS series are too old to revive their parts. Not only have the actors aged since the original series, but NCIS: Origins will go back in time. While Kelly and Shannon only need to be portrayed as the same age in NCIS — the age they were before their deaths — the original actors have still aged out of their roles.
When portrayed as an adult, Waitress star Darby Stanchfield played the original Shannon Gibbs. Like Gibbs’ Mark Harmon, Stanchfield, introduced as Shannon in 2006, would be too old to revive her role. Since Shannon and Kelly are always portrayed at the age they died, Shannon needed to be played by a younger actor. For instance, since Kelly Gibbs needed to remain around 8 years old, four different actors have portrayed Gibbs’ daughter throughout all 21 seasons of NCIS.
Shannon & Kelly’s NCIS: Origins’ Recasting Makes It Easier For Austin Stowell To Take Over Gibbs
It’s good that NCIS: Origins has recast Shannon and Kelly Gibbs because it would be odd to see Stowell sharing scenes with the same Shannon and Kelly Gibbs who shared the screen with Harmon. Stanchfield and one of the many Kelly Gibbs actors reviving their roles as Shannon and Kelly Gibbs is not just impractical because the characters never age; it would also feel unnatural to see the same characters on-screen with a new representation of Gibbs. The new Shannon and Kelly actors are crucial to selling the new Gibbs.
