I’m worried about the opening episode of NCIS: Origins now that CBS announced its fall TV schedule. They announced earlier in the year that the Leroy Jethro Gibbs character would return to the small screen in an origin story spinoff similar to Young Sheldon. It’s advertised that the NCIS: Origins prequel will explore Gibbs’ early days as an NCIS agent when he is freshly assigned to the Camp Pendleton office. While I can’t wait to see the series premiere, it could be as distressing as it is exciting because Jethro Gibbs had more going on in 1991 than they’re advertising.
While it’s rousing to imagine what Gibbs’ earliest days may have looked like, they come with a fair amount of baggage. Gibbs pivoted from his military career to NIS (later branded NCIS) due to extreme life circumstances. Anyone familiar with the series knows it’s fair to say that Gibbs’ start at Camp Pendleton wasn’t carefree. The change was inspired by trauma, which I hope the writers handle with care in the NCIS: Origins story.
NCIS: Origins’ Two-Hour Season Premiere Means It Will Probably Cover Shannon’s Murder
NCIS: Origins Will Start In 1991
When I saw the fall television schedule on Parade, I noted that two hours were booked for the NCIS: Origins series premiere. I wasn’t surprised since it’s a new show, requiring time for exposition, but I was worried. The NCIS: Origins story is said to begin in 1991. That’s when Gibbs was assigned to the fledgling NCIS office, but that’s just part of what happened to the special agent. It was a big year for Gibbs, full of pivotal events that outweighed his career change. You see, 1991 is also the year Gibbs’ wife and daughter were murdered.
While the synopsis for the series has so far focused on Gibbs’ career as a “newly minted special agent,” I believe this update confirms that the series will reach back further in time to introduce the young Jethro Gibbs. The two-hour time slot signals the series will cover what happened to Gibbs’ wife and daughter in NCIS. I think it’s a pivotal part of the agent’s story that needs to be told; I just hope that the writers respect the weight of Gibbs’ trauma and strike the right balance while emotionally appealing to viewers.
Why Casting Jackson Gibbs Confirms NCIS: Origins Will Explore Shannon’s Death
Robert Taylor Was Cast As Jackson Gibbs In NCIS: Origins
Another sign that NCIS: Origins will show Kelly and Shannon’s murder is that the series has cast someone to portray Gibbs’ father, Jackson Gibbs. The original series established that Jethro Gibbs had been estranged from his father for 15 years. This is explained in season 6, episode 4, “Heartland,” one of the best episodes of NCIS. “Heartland” established that Jethro Gibbs last saw his father at Kelly and Shannon’s funeral. If someone has been cast to play Gibbs senior, then NCIS: Origins will go back at least as far as that event.
While I could see them opening at the funeral, I could also see them going farther back and envisioning Shannon and Kelly’s murder. This was done in flashbacks in the original series, many contained in NCIS season 3, episode 24, “Hiatus Part II,” when Gibbs relived his life’s most traumatic events while in an unconscious state after experiencing an explosion aboard a Navy ship. It wouldn’t surprise me if the series took an hour from the two-hour premiere to rehash this vital backstory.
What Else To Expect From NCIS: Origins’ Premiere
Vera Stickland And Mike Franks Will Return
Once the series has set the scene for the special agent in charge, there are many exciting elements to look forward to in NCIS: Origins. While some of the most critical details of Gibbs’ past are known to audiences, the daily ins and outs of his early time as an NCIS agent is uncharted territory. The young Gibbs will work closely with his former partner and mentor in the series, Mike Franks, and NCIS: Origins cast Kyle Schmid for the role. The series will also return Special Agent Vera Strickland, who worked with Gibbs and appeared in the flagship series.
I’m just hoping for me and anyone else who has lost someone in a car accident that the writing handles Shannon and Kelly’s death tenderly
I just hope that they handle Gibbs’ trauma with care. It’s impossible to ignore since it sets the scene for Gibbs’ career, so I just want whatever events and emotions they show on screen to feel genuine and be portrayed tastefully. Gibbs’ wife and daughter were murdered, but they ultimately died in a car crash. That’s how my father died, and so I’m just hoping for me and anyone else who has lost someone in a car accident that the writing handles Shannon and Kelly’s death tenderly if they choose to portray it on-screen when NCIS: Origins premieres.