Gibbs is well and truly out of there.
NCIS Season 19 Episode 4 said goodbye to Mark Harmon’s character, but how will the show continue?
If the teaser for NCIS Season 19 Episode 5 is to be believed, well, it looks like we’ll be spending a lot more time with Gary Cole’s Alden Parker.
If you watch NCIS online, you know Parker’s decision not to arrest Gibbs cost him his job with the FBI, and Vance and Torres felt strongly about his big sacrifice.
The next episode finds the team investigating the death of a Navy commander whose body suddenly explodes before Jimmy can examine it.
Based on the official footage, it looks like a high-octane case, which also shows us that Parker is well and truly a part of the team.
It’s unclear whether this role will be for a predetermined amount of time or if Vance has given him the keys to the kingdom.
Fans had concerns Cole was being drafted in to replace Harmon, and it looks like it’s actually happening.
Then again, McGee may have a much more significant part of the team going forward. It does look like a solid follow-up to that big exit.
The show’s future is resting on these next episodes to see how fans react to a Gibbs-less NCIS.
The good thing is that Harmon remains an EP on the show, and there is the belief that he will pop up here and there, but it seems like Gibbs has cracked his last case.
There were rumors earlier in the year that Harmon was plotting his exit from one of the biggest shows on TV.
19 years in the one job is a long time, and he did get a decent enough swan song that was true to the character.
The trip to Alaska was always going to end with a big twist, and Gibbs remaining there because it was the first time he felt peace in a long time was a good idea.
The show will continue without Mark Harmon, but showrunner Steven S. Binder was open about not counting Gibbs out after the episode aired.
“As an executive producer and dear friend, Mark continues to be an integral part of the fabric of the show,” the statement begins.
“Our north star has always been staying true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we tell and where those characters go.”
“So regarding the future of Gibbs, as long-time fans of the show may have noticed over the years…never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out,” it concludes.
Check out the trailer below and let me know in the comments if you will continue watching.
NCIS continues Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.