NCIS: Origins Spinoff Casting: Here Are 11 Picks to Play a Young Gibbs
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CBS has an NCIS prequel series about a younger Gibbs in its crosshairs. But who is fit to fill a thirtysomething Mark Harmon’s shoes?
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Well, we have some ideas!
Ordered to series earlier this month, NCIS: Origins will be set in the year 1991 and pick up with Leroy Jethro Gibbs as a “newly minted Special Agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks.” TVLine has also learned that producers will be introducing a young version of Special Agent Vera Strickland, Franks’ onetime partner played by Roma Maffia in a Season 11 NCIS episode.
NCIS: Origins: Everything We Know
In addition to executive-producing the well-watched franchise’s latest spinoff, Mark Harmon — who of course starred on the original NCIS for its first 19 seasons — will narrate NCIS: Origins.
And while Sean Harmon (Mark’s son) over the years has played a younger Gibbs in seven total NCIS episodes via “flashbacks,” he is focusing on his first EP gig. (We repeat, Sean Harmon will not be playing Gibbs.) A new actor is thus being sought to play Jethro on NCIS: Origins. Specifically, sources tell TVLine the spinoff is looking for an actor in his mid-30s, who ideally has blue eyes (like Mark Harmon).
The TVLine staff brainstormed some, and offer below a list of 11 possibilities, many of whom sport blue peepers. Review our picks, then weigh in with your own, ideal “Young Gibbs.”
Robbie Amell
We know, Upload — on which he stars as a digitally “resurrected” computer programmer — theoretically could get a Season 4 at Prime Video. But if that’s not in the cards, Amell could be a fine fit as Young Gibbs.
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: Upload, The Flash, The Tomorrow People, Revenge and others
EYE COLOR: Blue!
Matt Barr
We really like Barr for this. He brings a vitality to his roles, as well as swagger and charm, and he is no stranger to the Paramount/CBS/The CW family. Surely he’s on their radar.
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: Walker Independence, Walker, Blood & Treasure, Valor, Hellcats, Harper’s Island and others
EYE COLOR: Blue!
Ryan Hansen
OK, this is one of our wilder wild cards, seeing as Hansen’s resume is comedy-heavy. But we are admittedly curious to see if he could dial things in enough to lead a procedural. CBS, though, may not be as curious; plus, he’s one of the oldest (north of 40) picks on our list.
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: Veronica Mars, Party Down, A Million Little Things, Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television (web series), 2 Broke Girls and others
EYE COLOR: Hazel
Matt Lanter
You kinda like this one, right? Lanter proved his leading-man chops on the gone-too-soon Timeless, and frankly he is due for a sure thing such as an NCIS spinoff.
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: Timeless, Jupiter’s Legacy, Star-Crossed, 90210 and others
EYE COLOR: Blue!
Chris Lowell
With How I Met Your Father‘s cancellation, he’s available. Though his previous drama roles have leaned a bit on the lighter side.
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: How I Met Your Father, GLOW, Graves, Enlisted, Private Practice, Veronica Mars and others
EYE COLOR: Blue!
Jake McDorman
CBS has twice before bet on McDorman, to headline its adaptation of Bradley Cooper’s Limitless movie and to play no less than Murphy Brown’s son. It’s almost hard to see how he doesn’t get this role.
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: Class of ’09, Mrs. Davis, Murphy Brown, Limitless, Manhattan Love Story, Greek and others
EYE COLOR: Blue!
Beau Mirchoff
With Ride cancelled and Good Trouble ending, we put forth Mirchoff, because he deserves nice things. Blue eyes? No. But his age (a reported 35) is right in the sweet spot NCIS: Origins aims to cast.
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: Ride, Good Trouble/The Fosters, Narcos: Mexico, I’m Dying Up Here, Awkward., Desperate Housewives and others
EYE COLOR: Green
Luke Mitchell
Like, how could we not suggest Mitchell? Yes, he’s about to recur on Chicago Med, with an option to maybe become a series-regular. But if a spinoff of TV’s most-watched drama came knocking with a leading role, that’d be quite the temptation.
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: Chicago Med (upcoming), Big Sky, Blindspot, The Code, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Tomorrow People, Home and Away and others
EYE COLOR: Blue!
Chris Pine
Let us stop you right there: If our list had a “reach school,” yes, Pine is it. He’s a total long-shot, given his big-screen bonafides. But if he’s tired of Trekking… man, he’d be quite perfect (if one of the older, 40-plus candidates on our list).
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: I Am the Night, Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer sequel and prequel series, Angie Tribeca and others
EYE COLOR: Blue!
Ian Somerhalder
If Somerhalder, after so many years of genre-TV, is ready to settle down with a procedural, he in some ways does favor a young Harmon. That said, he appears to be the oldest, 40something actor on our list.
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: V-Wars, The Vampire Diaries, Lost, Tell Me You Love Me and others
EYE COLOR: Blue!
Lucas Till
The star of CBS’ five-season MacGyver reboot is perhaps the youngest of our picks, south of 35. And with FX’s Lee Daniels-EP’d The Spook Who Sat by the Door pilot being redeveloped, he is 100% available. A perfect fit for all…?
PREVIOUS TV CREDITS: MacGyver, plus guest spots on Blue Mountain State, House, Medium and others
EYE COLOR: Blue!
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