‘NCIS’ EP Explains Why Mark Harmon Was Not On Ducky Tribute
When NCIS announced they were making a special tribute episode to the late OG star David McCallum, who portrayed Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, fans hoped that Mark Harmon would return. However, another star wound up making a cameo.
Why didn’t they bring Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs for this episode? The showrunners explain.
Why Didn’t Mark Harmon Come Back For NCIS Ducky Tribute?
The NCIS Season 21, Episode 2, “The Stories We Leave Behind” was the highly anticipated tribute to David McCallum. Planning it, showrunner Steven D. Binder told TV Insider that they had considered “channeling Avengers: Endgame.” They envisioned everyone returning for this event.
In a perfect world, what we first imagined was what the Marvel Cinematic Universe did when Tony Stark died…. Our original thought was, ‘Can we get everybody?’
However, reality hit pretty fast. Firstly, there was the budget, as well as availability, as well as filming details which were “insurmountable.” Then, they started to look at the story. Who would make sense to return for Ducky’s funeral? It seemed that Gibbs would be ideal. Therefore, they quickly realized that there was someone better suited.
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Michael Weatherly Returning Was ‘No-Brainer’
The big surprise cameo for the NCIS Ducky tribute was Michael Weatherly. Why was bringing Tony DiNozzo back a “no-brainer”? Steven D. Binder, one of the two showrunners of the long-running CBS military procedural realized that who they needed to bring back was for someone grieving, not for Ducky.
But it was Jimmy who was there, so it was [about] who Jimmy would connect with, and also bring some levity…and that was Michael Weatherly. It’s really a no-brainer.
Although it has been eight years since he was on the series, Binder revealed “He’s DiNozzo again, there’s nothing rusty…. As soon as he walked into that autopsy room, I thought, ‘DiNozzo’s back.'”
Bringing the Bull alum back was a bit of a covert operation. They brought Weatherly in the middle of the night to film this meaningful cameo. However, what will it take to bring Mark Harmon back?
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NCIS Showrunner States Conditions Of Bringing Mark Harmon Back
Although Michael Weatherly seemed like the right choice for the NCIS cameo, what sorts of conditions do they need to bring Mark Harmon’s Jethro Leroy Gibbs back? Binder shared, “Of course, the door is always open.” However, he had a certain condition.
When we bring him back, we’re not going to bring him back for two minutes. It’s got to be something special.
This sounds promising as he said “when” not “If.” That means that this sounds very probable. Most of all, unlike Michael Weatherly’s short and sweet cameo, when Mark returns as Gibbs, it sounds like it will be the focus of the episode.
NCIS fans, were you disappointed that Mark Harmon was not in the Ducky tribute?
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