It didn't take long for Mark Harmon to share his opinion about Austin Stowell‘s performance as Leroy Gibbs in CBS' NCIS: Origins. "He gave it to me right away in the room," Stowell, 39, quipped during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly.

Is Mark Harmon coming back to NCIS? That’s one of the questions many fans have been asking. Harmon played Leroy Jethro Gibbs for many years on NCIS, but he retired the character during Alaska and took time away from television.

Origins premiered on the 2024 TV schedule, lead actor Austin Stowell said that Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Mariel Molino’s Lala Dominguez would not have a “romantic vibe” between them. And yet, six episodes into the CBS prequel series,

The reveal of what Gibbs is doing in 2024 was one of many Easter eggs that has been part of the launch of Origins. Others include Gibbs getting his first sip of bourbon, the first time he stopped an elevator for a private conversation, the fact that he always carries a knife, and more info on how Gibbs’ rules came to be.

Origins is building up to Lala's death - but Austin Stowell has another guess. "I had a theory that I had expressed to people on set - and it's kind of been proven wrong already," Stowell, 39, exclusively told Us Weekly about his thoughts on where Mariel Molino‘s character