Ideal for franchise loyalists and 90s noir fans wanting a darker, psychologically complex look at a television icon.
Series Analysis:
Before the head slaps and the basement boat-building, there was just a grieving man trying to find his footing at Camp Pendleton. NCIS: Origins strips away the polished veneer of the long-running franchise to reveal the raw nerve of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in 1991. Anchored by Mark Harmon's retrospective narration, the series functions less as a standard procedural and more as a military noir—tracking a rookie agent forging his identity under the chaotic tutelage of Mike Franks. As the story presses into its second season, the focus shifts from simple survival to the formation of the code that would eventually define a legend: justice is messy, but the rules are absolute.
Tone: Retro, Brooding, Hard-boiled
Last Updated: October 2025