Mark Harmon has left NCIS after 18 full seasons, but he almost quit the show back in 2007 during season 4. Throughout the series’ impressive run on CBS, various stars have come and gone, like Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo, but Harmon has been the glue holding the team together, both on and off the screen. He’s also been an executive producer on NCIS since the show started in 2003.
His departure during season 19 has raised questions of whether NCIS can survive without Harmon’s Gibbs, but it’s especially tough to imagine how the show would have fared had he left after only four years. As it currently stands, NCIS is well-established as one of the most-watched network shows in the country and has a loyal base of followers, many of whom have been tuning into the procedural drama for nearly two decades. It could fare well enough without Gibbs as Special Agent In Charge. However, had Harmon quit the show during season 4, NCIS may not have become what it is today.
As it turns out, Harmon almost left NCIS the first time because of tension between him and the original showrunner, Donald Bellisario. Reports at the time indicated that the two were butting heads over hours and deadlines until the network was forced to choose between them. CBS chose Harmon, and he stayed on while the NCIS creator (who also produced such hits as Magnum P.I.) had to go.
Much like his NCIS persona, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Harmon is known for being both even-keeled and well-disciplined. The actor must really have been at the end of his rope to get into a standoff with his producer. The conflict came down to the fact that Bellisario was turning in scripts late, making it hard to make deadlines, and Harmon was working long hours every day to the point that it was impacting his home life. In addition, TV Guide reported that Harmon felt he was being micro-managed, and disliked Bellisario’s “chaotic management style.” The consummate professional, however, Harmon never actually missed a day of work due to this drama.
Mark Harmon’s NCIS exit had to wait until 2021 in the end. It’s hard to say how close he really came to leaving the show in 2007, but CBS recognized the issue and fired Bellisario before the standoff could go any further. Chas. Floyd Johnson and Shane Brennan took over for Bellisario, and NCIS kept right on running. If anything, this incident illustrates how much sway Harmon has had on the NCIS team over the years. The lead actor in any show is of huge importance to the story and the fans, but it turns out Harmon has been the man in charge in the real world of NCIS‘s production as well as on-screen. This creates even more of a question mark for the show going forward and proves it’s a good thing Mark Harmon didn’t quit NCIS in season 4 when he could have.
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