Although Mark Harmon has been vocally reprising Leroy Jethro Gibbs as the narrator of NCIS: Origins and even made two onscreen appearances on the prequel series, when it comes to NCIS itself, we still haven’t seen him there since his exit in the Season 19 episode “Great Wide Open.” After he and Sean Murray’s Timothy McGee accomplished their objective in Naktok Bay, Alaska, Gibbs opted to stay there and bid farewell to McGee before he returned to Washington D.C. The two men haven’t spoken since then, but Sean Murray told CinemaBlend what he wants to happen if they reunite.
After chatting about the episode “Page-Turner,” which aired on the 2025 TV schedule Tuesday and included a fun throwback for “longtime fans” with Jessica Knight’s look, I asked Sean Murray what he would like Gibbs and McGee to discuss first if they ever came face to face again. The actor started off by saying:
I think Gibbs would want to make sure that McGee is being honest to himself and doing things the right way for the right reasons, the reasons that that that Gibbs taught him. I think a big part of McGee is always looking for the approval from Gibbs. McGee had a very strained relationship with his father, and McGee always had issues in terms of a father-son kind of relationship and that sort of thing. And with Gibbs, he found a father figure that he never had, and that means everything to him.
This question I asked was prompted by how during NCIS’s half of the crossover with NCIS: Origins, Vera Strickland, reprised by Roma Maffia, told McGee that she’s been in contact with Gibbs, and he told her how proud he is of McGee. Mark Harmon and Sean Murray’s characters spent nearly 20 years together, but just like what happened with Tony DiNozzo, Ziva David and more, Gibbs and McGee developed a closer connection beyond mere coworkers. That was certainly evident during their last scene together in “Great Wide Open.”
Factoring in the father issues Sean Murray mentioned, it’s clear that McGee still thinks very highly of Gibbs after more than two decades, which obviously means he values his opinion of him. As Murray explained:
I think part of why he still does what he does is from the encouragement that he's had from Gibbs, that he can do this stuff. Over the years, we've seen McGee get better and better… I think if they were to have a conversation, it would be, ‘Am I doing ok, boss?’ I think he would just look for that approval… I think Gibbs is kind of the compass in him a little bit, if that makes sense.
So will we ever see Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Timothy McGee together again? That’s hard to say. In the present day of the NCIS timeline, Gibbs is living a life of solitude out in Naktok Bay, although he did give shelter to a stray dog during the crossover. It’s not exactly easy to reach him, and Vera Strickland didn’t tell McGee how she’s been doing it, although Gibbs was seen repairing a CB radio in his cabin. Mark Harmon also hasn’t given any indication he’s up for returning to NCIS, as he’s keeping busy enough with Origins.
I’d like to think there will come a day where Gibbs and McGee reunite before NCIS is over. For now though, McGee is still thriving at both the title law enforcement agency and with his family. I think Gibbs would approve of how his life is going, no question.
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