When the fall season kicks off on the 2024 TV schedule, one of the new shows that will be hitting the airwaves is NCIS: Origins, the prequel about Leroy Jethro Gibbs in 1991. Although Mark Harmon is executive producing the series and will narrate it as the present-day Gibbs, it’ll be Austin Stowell playing the Gibbs from more than three decades ago, with viewers getting to see him join what was then known as NIS. One of Gibbs’ teammates during this era is Mariel Molino’s Lala Dominguez, but don’t get your hopes up about her becoming the main protagonist’s love interest.
Stowell shot down the possibility of any romantic interest between these two leading NCIS: Origins characters while speaking to TV Insider. In his words:
I’m trying to prove myself. It’s not a romantic vibe. They are kindred spirits, both bullheaded, stubborn and smart. They say opposites attract. So, what happens when people are the same?
It almost sounds as though because Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Lala Dominguez are so similar, that’ll actually mean the two will end up butting heads, if not outright dislike each other. Granted, I don’t expect this kind of dynamic to last too long since it’s important these two are able to work together to solve crimes, but personal friction between people certainly helps add to the drama. If you’re looking for Gibbs to befriend a new face, you’ll get that with Caleb Martin Foote’s Benjamin “Randy” Randolf. That is a case where opposites attracts, as Gibbs’ introversion and Randolf’s extroversion mesh nicely, and the latter will help the former “become the great detective that he is.”
Let’s also not forget that NCIS: Origins begins just a few months after Gibbs’ wife Shannon and their daughter Kelly were murdered by drug dealer Pedro Hernandez. Gibbs tracked and shot Hernandez in retaliation, but as longtime NCIS viewers know, he never fully recovers from the trauma of losing them. Whether he and Dominguez get along or not, he’d hardly be in the headspace to pursue a serious romantic relationship with anyone. We also already know that Dominguez won’t be one of the three other women Gibbs marries between 1991 and 2003.
Along with Austin Stowell taking over as Gibbs, NCIS: Origins will also feature Kyle Schmid as the younger Mike Franks (previously played by Muse Watson) and Diany Rodriguez as the younger Vera Strickland (previously played by Roma Maffia). The main cast is rounded out by Tyla Abercrumbie playing Mary Jo Sullivan, the agency’s Field Operation Support Officer, and other recurring actors joining Caleb Martin Foote include Daniel Bellamy, Robert Taylor, Patrick Fischler, Julian Black Antelope, Lori Petty and Bobby Moynihan. NCIS vets Gina Lucita Montreal and David J. North as serving as showrunners.
NCIS: Origins premieres Monday October 14 immediately after the first episode of NCIS Season 22. Just like with the other shows in the NCIS franchise, its episodes will also become available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription.