Mark Harmon Breaks His Silence on Leaving ‘NCIS’ After 19 Seasons

Mark Harmon Breaks His Silence on Leaving ‘NCIS’ After 19 Seasons: I Want to ‘Keep It Challenging’

Mark Harmon opened up about his departure from NCIS for the first time since his character’s final appearance last fall.

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“What has always drawn me here is the character I play and to keep it fresh and to keep it challenging,” the 70-year-old actor

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who portrayed special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the CBS series, dished during an interview featured in the season 19 DVD release, per Entertainment Tonight

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“Plot-wise, this character has taken the path that it did.” Harmon added that he thought Gibbs’ journey was “honest”

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And reassured fans of the long-running procedural that the agent was still present in the NCIS universe.

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The California native made his NCIS debut in 2003 and remained on the drama until 2021.

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Harmon’s final appearance was during a season 19 episode titled “Great Wide Open,” where Gibbs informed his partner, that he intended to stay in Alaska after solving a case there

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