Mark Harmon Pinpoints The Moment NCIS Became CBS's Global Cash Machine
He led TV’s biggest procedural, yet Mark Harmon says the reality of his NCIS-fueled fame didn’t sink in until years later — a candid reveal he shared on Queen Latifah’s show.
Mark Harmon has been on TV forever, but the moment he realized he was actually famous is not what you think. No red carpet. No ratings call. Try Salzburg, cobblestones, and a whole street of strangers staring at him.
The day NCIS fame really clicked
Back in 2014, Harmon sat down with Queen Latifah and talked about the weird lag between doing the work and feeling the impact. He said what most folks in TV quietly hope for: you launch a show and cross your fingers that people show up and actually like it. Years into NCIS, he and his wife took a low-key vacation to Austria, and that is where it hit him.
"Walking down the street in Salzburg, Austria. Lederhosen, horse carts, and cobblestones. Trying to take a little vacation. That's the first time I knew the show was pretty popular. It stopped traffic in the street. That was a little bit different kind of fear."
He described turning around and seeing people literally lined up and watching him. Not exactly the anonymous European getaway he had in mind.
Gibbs, by the numbers
Harmon first showed up as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in 2003 and ended up anchoring NCIS for 18 seasons. That's a rare run for any character, and why the slightest whiff of a return sets the fanbase buzzing.
So, is he coming back?
Harmon recently popped back up in the NCIS universe via the spinoff NCIS: Origins, which naturally kicked off a fresh wave of speculation about a longer return. Asked about it, he played it careful in a November 10 interview with TV Insider, focusing on the show first and leaving the door open without promising anything.
"I try really hard to think about what's best for the show or what possibly can work for this show. But part of that also is giving them the ability to write what they feel is right for the reasons they feel it's right ... I'm reminded by that because it's exactly what the mothership was when it first debuted. And this is on a similar path, which is not a bad idea if it works. So we'll see."
There was also mention of fans getting Gibbs back in action in a recent crossover tied to Veterans Day. The date cited was November 11, 2025, for a two-part event. Yes, that's a future date, so either plans shifted, or someone jumped the gun in how they phrased it. Point is: the interest (and the teases) are very much alive.
Harmon almost didn't get Gibbs
This part is fun. According to casting director Susan Bluestein, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, CBS weighed nearly a dozen other names before landing on Harmon for Gibbs. A few of the heavy hitters who were in the mix:
- Chris Cooper
- Patrick Swayze
- Kevin Bacon
- Clive Owen
- Alec Baldwin
There were others, but that short list alone tells you how different the show might have felt.
Where the shows stand right now
If you like scoreboard talk: NCIS sits at 7.8/10 on IMDb and 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. NCIS: Origins is logged at 7.4/10 on IMDb and 88%/75% on Rotten Tomatoes. As always, these numbers bounce around, but that's where they're pegged at the moment.