NCIS Is Ruining Gibbs To Save Its Trailblazing Show
NCIS‘s trailblazing spinoff is telling a compelling story, but it’s costing the franchise Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ 19-year legacy. CBS’s Super Tuesday block for the 2025-2026 TV cycle has been successful for the network thus far. By lumping together all active NCIS franchise shows, it is able to emphasize how encompassing the universe that started in 2003 has become. This allows for great crossovers, not to mention re-emphasizing how they all exist in the same reality
This is particularly applicable to NCIS: Origins, which functions as Gibbs’ origins story. While Mark Harmon exited the flagship in 2021, his presence continues to loom large on it, after being the face of the show for almost 20 years. Aside from its current storytelling, NCIS also continues a juggernaut in syndication and streaming, which means that its long history has remained at the forefront of the pop culture zeitgeist. Usually, this is a great thing, but the downside is that it makes it easier to notice issues with overall continuity.
On the heels of Gibbs and Diane’s Las Vegas marriage, NCIS: Origins season 2, episode 9, “Fools Rush In,” reveals the aftermath of their drunken wedding. While a serious conversation about what happened is clearly needed, the pair doesn’t get the chance to do it, as Gibbs is called in for a work emergency. Throughout the episode, his news spread over at NIS, with many of his co-workers assuming that he is looking to get it annulled.
It isn’t until the end of “Fools Rush In” that Gibbs decides to keep the marriage, even going as far as saying “I love you” to Diane for the first time. Oblivious to her new husband’s internal turmoil, she happily takes it, believing that it’s the start of a good chapter. Harmon’s narration in the present day, which adds context to every episode of NCIS: Origins, argues that he did mean it when he told Diane that he loved her. Whether he’s trying to assuage his guilt doesn’t matter, but both he and the viewers know that isn’t the truth
