Why Mark Harmon’s Gibbs Didn’t Appear In NCIS Season 21’s Ducky Tribute Episode
David McCallum, star of “The Man from UNCLE” and “NCIS,” died in 2023 at age 90. Because his long-standing role as the CBS procedural’s first and longest-serving chief medical examiner Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard deserved a worthy goodbye, “NCIS” devoted the entire season 21 episode “The Stories We Leave Behind” to McCallum’s character, with people closest to Ducky gathering to remember their dear friend and mentor. Still, the deep roster of characters and references in the episode has one glaring omission. Ducky’s arguably oldest friend, Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), doesn’t appear in person to pay his respects.
According to “NCIS” co-showrunner Steven D. Binder, a key reason for omitting Gibbs from the episode was that after Harmon left “NCIS” in 2021, bringing him back for just a quick cameo would be a disservice to the fan-favorite character. Speaking to TV Line, Binder elaborated on this line of thinking:
