It would have been enough just to have Mark Harmon back in his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS: Origins this season, but his return has opened the door to a lot of familiar faces from his past joining him on his newest investigation.
Last week, that was Michael Weatherly, who is reprising his role as Tony DiNozzo on NCIS, but in the new capacity of director, taking over for the late Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll). And unlike Vance, DiNozzo is a director who likes to be in the mix, so when Gibbs came to him for assistance on tracking down the identity of the owner of a fingerprint that needed high clearance to access, DiNozzo took it a step further and contacted Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham) to help, feeling that Gibbs’ five years off in Alaska might have made him rusty.
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DiNozzo’s idea was that since Gibbs needs to keep secret the fact that he’s alive, Bishop, who is working undercover, is the perfect person to give him an assist, because her whole life is off the books, but it’s more than that.
“I imagine that Tony observed a friendship and camaraderie between them over the years and because of Bishop’s current situation, I think it probably just dawned on him that she’s the perfect person for this,” said Wickersham, who begins the first of a few episodes tonight.
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So, Harmon and Wickersham reunited on the Paramount stages, where the basement set of Gibbs’ D.C. home from NCIS was transported from its regular residence in Santa Clarita, so that Gibbs and Bishop would come together in a place full of memories for both of them and for viewers.
“It was so nice,” Wickersham tells Parade in this exclusive interview. “Mark and I talk on the phone and we text, but I haven’t seen him for a few years now. I love working with him. I had such a great time. I felt like we just fell back into the rhythm that we had five or so years ago on the original show, and it was awesome.”
But what’s interesting to watch on tonight’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” episode is how Bishop is not the same woman she was when we first met her. She used to be very cerebral with quirky habits, like sitting cross-legged on the floor, to process information, but now she’s much more action-oriented and confident, and it was great to see her take charge in some aspects of their investigation.
Related: Ellie Bishop Is Back! Emily Wickersham Joins NCIS: Origins to Help Gibbs on Secret Mission
“She was originally written as this NSA head-in-the-books kind of person and over the years she’s really blossomed,” Wickersham agreed. “From years of being in the field at NCIS, I think she has gained confidence and that’s become part of her lifestyle. Then taking this next step after leaving NCIS into this whole other world feels like a very natural evolution for her. I think it’s like anything, you don’t really know what you’re capable of until you throw yourself into it and then you’re like, ‘Oh, I guess I can do it,’ and everyone else you know is doing it. I didn’t know I could do it, but I’m doing it and I think that’s kind of the thing with Bishop. Along the way, she started gaining confidence and wanting to be involved in more physical stuff with work. I think where her mind is at and what she cares about most now.”
Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS
Wickersham starred as Ellie Bishop for eight seasons on NCIS before making her surprise exit in 2021. She has since returned for a guest appearance, filling viewers in on what she was working on during her undercover assignment, in March 2026. Tonight will be her first appearance on NCIS: Origins, and she’s happy to return to the place where it really all began for her.
“This was like my first consistent show that I had ever been a part of and I love everyone that I’ve worked with for so many years,” she said. “I do have some really great friendships from that show, and I loved being a part of it. I felt like I was able to learn to act on that show because I was given an opportunity to go to work every day and be on the set for 10 months out of the year. Of course, you have moments that you’re like, ‘I remember when that happened,’ but, ultimately, I think of it so fondly and I feel so grateful for that time.”
That said, when we suggested that she might want to return to NCIS for another episode, pairing her with Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), who has just agreed to do some freelance work for the CIA, Wickersham was game.
“I love working with Wilmer, so that that would feel natural,” she said.
And, then, maybe even better, would be a shot at NCIS: New York with LL COOL J and Scott Caan, which films in New York City where Wickersham now lives.
“I’m waiting,” she kidded. “I love that. I actually I ran into LL COOL J recently and I was asking about the show. He’s having a great time. I would love to be on that show because they film right here. It would be awesome.”
NCIS: Origins airs Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Streams next day on Paramount+.
Next, NCIS: Origins Showrunner Reveals How That Gibbs-DiNozzo Reunion Came Together (Exclusive)