When NCIS first premiered over two decades ago, no one could have predicted that Leroy Jethro Gibbs would become one of television’s most enduring and mysterious heroes — or that his story would one day stretch across generations, continents, and spin-offs. Now, in what CBS is calling “the most ambitious NCIS event ever attempted,” that legacy comes full circle.
On Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11th, two eras will collide as the franchise’s flagship series, NCIS, merges with its critically acclaimed prequel, NCIS: Origins, for a two-part crossover spanning more than 30 years.
And at the center of it all? The return of the man who started it all — Mark Harmon, back on screen as the legendary Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
But he’s not alone. Joining him in this time-bending event is the fiercely sharp and fan-favorite Roma Maffia, reprising her role as Retired Special Agent Vera Strickland, a woman whose past with Gibbs and Mike Franks holds the key to a mystery that refuses to stay buried.
This isn’t just another crossover. It’s a television homecoming — a collision of timelines, legacies, and unfinished business that promises to redefine what it means to be NCIS.
🕰️ The Case That Connects Three Decades
At first glance, the case seems simple: a cold file from the early 1990s suddenly reopens in 2025 after a mysterious prison break. But as viewers soon discover, this case is anything but ordinary.
CBS has structured the two-hour event chronologically, swapping time slots to preserve the timeline:
-
8:00 PM ET/PT — “NCIS: Origins”
The first hour takes viewers back to 1991, where a young Gibbs (Austin Stowell), under the mentorship of Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), investigates the death of a naval officer in a small California town shrouded in secrets. Among his team: a young Agent Vera Strickland (Diany Rodriguez). The episode, fittingly titled “Funny How Time Slips Away,” also features Mark Harmon as present-day Gibbs — watching, remembering, and perhaps even haunted by the decisions that shaped his future. -
9:00 PM ET/PT — “NCIS”
The second hour, titled “Now and Then,” brings the story to the present day. Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) and the current MCRT team reopen the cold case, seeking answers only the past can provide. When evidence points back to Gibbs’ original NIS investigation, they turn to one person who was there: Retired Special Agent Vera Strickland (Roma Maffia), now living a quieter life — until the past comes knocking.
For the first time, fans will watch one story unfold seamlessly across generations — from the raw beginnings of Gibbs’ career to the legacy he left behind.
🏔️ Mark Harmon’s Return: A Legacy Reawakened
When Mark Harmon left NCIS in Season 19, his exit felt like the end of an era. Gibbs’ farewell — finding peace in Alaska — was poetic, a quiet conclusion for television’s most stoic hero. But now, after four years of silence, Harmon’s return will finally answer the question fans have asked since that emotional goodbye:
What became of Gibbs?
In the Origins portion of the crossover, viewers will finally get a glimpse into Gibbs’ life post-Alaska. The series’ co-showrunners, David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, teased one line that sent the fandom into overdrive:
“Four years ago, Gibbs disappeared to Alaska to live a life of solitude… We don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say Gibbs is no longer alone.”
With just ten words, the NCIS fandom exploded. Social media is rife with speculation — could it be a reunion with a past love, like Jack Sloane? A surprise visit from an old teammate? Or has Gibbs simply found peace with a new companion in the quiet Alaskan wilderness?
What’s certain is that this isn’t just a cameo or nostalgia play. Harmon’s return is narrative — the emotional throughline connecting Origins and NCIS, showing how one man’s choices shaped generations of agents after him.
Even Harmon himself expressed his excitement about stepping back into Gibbs’ boots:
“They came to me with a story that made sense — a story that felt right for Gibbs. It’s not about going backward; it’s about seeing how far he’s come.”
💼 The Return of Roma Maffia’s Vera Strickland: The Woman Who Bridges It All
In a universe built on loyalty, loss, and long shadows, Vera Strickland is a name that still carries weight. First introduced in NCIS Season 11, the character — played with unforgettable grit by Roma Maffia — was established as a tough, Brooklyn-born former agent who once partnered with Mike Franks. She was smart, fearless, and utterly unimpressed by bureaucracy — the kind of agent Gibbs respected instantly.
Now, over a decade later, Maffia’s Strickland is back, older but no less sharp. When the cold case resurfaces in the present, the modern-day MCRT team needs her insight. Strickland’s return bridges not only the two timelines but also the two shows, serving as the connective thread between Origins’ 1990s world and NCIS’ current-day ensemble.
Meanwhile, in Origins, Diany Rodriguez brings the young Strickland to life — brash, witty, and fiercely competent — as part of Gibbs’ first team at Camp Pendleton. Seeing the same woman in two eras, played by two actresses, is one of the crossover’s boldest creative choices, emphasizing that the NCIS legacy is as much about its people as its cases.
🔥 A Story Told Like Never Before
The two-hour event isn’t just a crossover; it’s a narrative experiment. Rather than cutting back and forth between eras, CBS is letting the timeline unfold organically — first the past, then the present.
That structure, showrunners explain, is crucial:
“This story is about time, memory, and how one case can ripple through generations. You need to live in both worlds — to feel the weight of what came before.”
That emotional weight is precisely what has made NCIS more than just another procedural. It’s why millions still tune in every week — for the stories of loyalty, redemption, and resilience that connect agents across time.
🎖️ A Veterans Day Tribute — and a Full-Circle Moment
There’s something deeply poetic about NCIS bringing Gibbs back on Veterans Day. The series has always honored service — not just military service, but the moral duty of those who protect others.
Gibbs embodies that ethos more than anyone. A Marine. A mentor. A man who carried his scars with quiet grace. His return isn’t just fan service — it’s a salute to the character who defined integrity for an entire generation of television viewers.
Mark Harmon’s presence alongside Roma Maffia’s Strickland turns this crossover into something rare: a celebration of endurance. Of people who may have aged, changed, or disappeared — but whose legacies remain unshakable.
🕯️ The Legacy That Lives On
In a world of constant reboots and remakes, NCIS continues to defy time. Origins gave the franchise new life, exploring Gibbs’ formative years with a fresh cast. But this crossover reminds fans — and perhaps even Harmon himself — why the world fell in love with NCIS in the first place.
The rules, the loyalty, the found family, and that unspoken belief that no one truly disappears — not in Gibbs’ world.
This Veterans Day, television history repeats itself — beautifully.
The past remembers. The present listens. And Gibbs, the quiet guardian of NCIS, steps out of the shadows once more.
Because legends don’t retire — they return when the story demands it.
