Young Ducky (Adam Campbell) isn’t receiving the warmest of welcomes on “NCIS: Origins.”
The “NCIS” character, who has appeared on the mothership in flashbacks, is making his “NCIS: Origins” debut in Tuesday’s episode of the prequel in what serves as a special tribute to the late David McCallum.
The episode — which is named after McCallum’s 1966 release “The Edge” — picks up when “Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard, a liaison from D.C. headquarters and an old acquaintance of Gibbs’, arrives to evaluate whether Pendleton needs an in-house medical examiner,” per the official logline. But not everyone trusts that’s the real reason behind his visit.
In the exclusive sneak peek below, paranoia spreads among the team about Ducky’s true intentions, as Franks and Wheeler worry about what kind of “intel” the medical examiner might be trying to collect. Plus, Ducky’s presence complicates Gibbs’ life in an unexpected way: The NIS team has now learned Gibbs’ peculiar middle name after Ducky calls him “Jethro,” giving them one more reason to poke fun at the probie.
Campbell previously guest-starred in four episodes of “NCIS” as Young Ducky. His first appearance came in Season 12, Episode 3 (“So It Goes”), while his most recent encore came in Season 18, Episode 2 (“Everything Starts Somewhere”), which predated McCallum’s death by three years.
This will mark Campbell’s first appearance opposite Austin Stowell as Gibbs. On “NCIS,” the role of Young Gibbs was inhabited by Mark Harmon’s son, Sean Harmon.
