# Mark Harmon's Gibbs and Michael Weatherly's DiNozzo Reunite on NCIS: Origins After a Decade Developing: The Oct. 20 episode "Return of the Mack" brought Gibbs back to NCIS headquarters, where he told DiNozzo he is proud of him; ratings were not yet available. By The Signal Edition | Entertainment / TV Published: 2026-10-21T04:43:46Z Updated: 2026-10-21T04:43:46Z Canonical: https://www.thesignaledition.com/article/mark-harmon-ncis-origins-reunion-1xd1osz Image: https://www.thesignaledition.com/media/b774303ce111bcfc7053c3c896689d75.jpg (File photo of Mark Harmon with co-star Chris O'Donnell during NCIS filming in March 2009, not from the Origins episode; credit: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)) ## Summary - CBS aired the NCIS: Origins episode "Return of the Mack" on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 10 p.m. ET. - Mark Harmon's present-day Gibbs reunited with Michael Weatherly's DiNozzo, now NCIS director, for the first time in about 10 years. - Gibbs tells DiNozzo he is proud of him and wants his survival kept quiet, according to Parade's post-broadcast report. - No viewership figures for the episode had been found at the time of writing. ## What aired Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly shared the screen as Gibbs and Tony DiNozzo on Tuesday night's episode of CBS's NCIS: Origins, titled "Return of the Mack," which aired at 10 p.m. ET on Oct. 20, according to Parade. [1](https://parade.com/tv/ncis-origins-showrunner-gibbs-dinozzo-reunion-david-j-north-interview) It is the first time the two characters have appeared together in roughly a decade. Variety reported that the reunion comes at the beginning and end of the episode and is short, and that there are no head slaps between the two. [2](https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/ncis-origins-mark-harmon-michael-weatherly-reunion-producer-1236917961/) A separate recap published after the broadcast by Celeb Dirty Laundry also placed the episode on Oct. 20 and described Gibbs working with the new NCIS director to find out who shot him. [4](https://www.celebdirtylaundry.com/2026/ncis-origins-recap-10-20-26-season-3-episode-3-return-of-the-mack/) ## The reunion scene Parade's account says each man sums up his life in under a minute. Tony has redecorated the office once held by Leon Vance, whom they toast. Gibbs then tells Tony he is proud of him. [1](https://parade.com/tv/ncis-origins-showrunner-gibbs-dinozzo-reunion-david-j-north-interview) Tony also voices concern that his investigative skills are rusty. Gibbs, who spent five years off the grid in Alaska, wants his survival kept quiet because the people who shot him believe he is dead, Parade reported. [1](https://parade.com/tv/ncis-origins-showrunner-gibbs-dinozzo-reunion-david-j-north-interview) ## How the story got here Origins follows a young Gibbs in the early 1990s, with Harmon serving as executive producer and narrator. A present-day storyline with Harmon on screen was added for the third season, Variety reported. [2](https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/ncis-origins-mark-harmon-michael-weatherly-reunion-producer-1236917961/) In the Season 3 premiere on Oct. 6, Gibbs was shot at his cabin by gunmen who left him for dead, according to TVLine. Deadline reported that he then goes to NCIS headquarters to ask DiNozzo, the new director, for help identifying a suspect whose file is buried in red tape. [5](https://www.tvline.com/2276480/ncis-origins-season-3-premiere-recap-mark-harmon-return-gibbs-shot/) [3](https://deadline.com/2026/10/ncis-origins-mark-harmon-michael-weatherly-interview-photos-1237165975/) Weatherly's return to the flagship NCIS was announced in July and took place in that series' Season 24 premiere on Oct. 6, Deadline reported. [3](https://deadline.com/2026/10/ncis-origins-mark-harmon-michael-weatherly-interview-photos-1237165975/) ## What the producers said Showrunner David J. North told Parade the scene was filmed on the NCIS set in Santa Clarita rather than the Origins stage in Hollywood, and called seeing the two actors together "a day I'll never forget." [1](https://parade.com/tv/ncis-origins-showrunner-gibbs-dinozzo-reunion-david-j-north-interview) Before the broadcast, North told Deadline that DiNozzo appears in only this episode this season and that the storyline is a pivotal part of Gibbs' season-long arc. [3](https://deadline.com/2026/10/ncis-origins-mark-harmon-michael-weatherly-interview-photos-1237165975/) ## What is not known Viewership figures for the Oct. 20 episode had not been published in the sources reviewed. Neither Harmon nor Weatherly had commented publicly on the broadcast in the coverage found. North has said more figures from Gibbs' past will appear this season, but has not named them, according to Parade. [1](https://parade.com/tv/ncis-origins-showrunner-gibbs-dinozzo-reunion-david-j-north-interview) ## Reporting sources 1. [Parade: How the 'NCIS: Origins' Gibbs-DiNozzo Reunion Came Together](https://parade.com/tv/ncis-origins-showrunner-gibbs-dinozzo-reunion-david-j-north-interview) (2026-10-21T03:00:00Z) 2. [Variety: 'NCIS: Origins' Producer on the Mark Harmon/Michael Weatherly Reunion](https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/ncis-origins-mark-harmon-michael-weatherly-reunion-producer-1236917961/) (2026-10-20T20:30:35Z) 3. [Deadline: 'NCIS: Origins' Boss Talks Mark Harmon & Michael Weatherly Reunion](https://deadline.com/2026/10/ncis-origins-mark-harmon-michael-weatherly-interview-photos-1237165975/) (2026-10-16T19:00:25Z) 4. [Celeb Dirty Laundry: NCIS: ORIGINS Recap 10/20/26: Season 3 Episode 3 "Return of the Mack"](https://www.celebdirtylaundry.com/2026/ncis-origins-recap-10-20-26-season-3-episode-3-return-of-the-mack/) (2026-10-21T03:10:01Z) 5. [TVLine: NCIS: Origins Season 3 Premiere Recap: Mark Harmon Returns As Gibbs](https://www.tvline.com/2276480/ncis-origins-season-3-premiere-recap-mark-harmon-return-gibbs-shot/) (2026-10-07T03:00:00Z)