While Mark Harmon re-immersed himself in the NCIS world recently, his departure from the original series almost tanked the show . Mark, who played Leroy Jethro Gibbs, decided to step down from the show's lead role, making his last appearance in 2021. After informing the team, concern quickly grew about the show's future .
Gary Cole, who took over Mark's role on the team as Agent Alden Parker, explained on the Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch podcast that when the idea came up "somewhere between season 18 and season 19," the creators scrambled for a solution. "There was talk that they would just end it," confessed Gary. He went on to add that he didn't know "why [Mark] would be surprised" by that option as "it could have been a possibility.
" NCIS fans 'have so many questions' as new photos show Timothy McGee in 'intense' situation NCIS writers lay foundation for Sean Murray's potential replacement in Season 22 Luckily, the show survived when the network reached an agreement with Mark to bring him back briefly in season 19 to transition Gary's character in after a few episodes. Gary said: "I think the way they did it was smart because rather than him leaving one day - there's a knock on the door, 'Hi, I'm the new guy,' - We did shows together involved in the same case. They worked for the FBI and we worked in tandem and they had conflict.
" Years later, Mark is lending a hand in the universe once again. The franchise launched their latest spin-off, NCIS: Origins, which explores Gibbs' .