NCIS: Origins Creators Discuss the Inspiration Behind the Spin-Off [Interview]

When Gibbs left NCIS, many believed that was the end of his story. Luckily for fans of the franchise (particularly of this character), however, the story didn’t end there. On the contrary, a spin-off prequel was born, giving them a better look at how things started in the NCIS world.

Even though NCIS: Origins is a prequel to everything that happened to Gibbs before we met him, the show also explores new characters and their lives.

I recently spoke with NCIS: Origins creators Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North about how the idea for the show was born, the inspiration behind the episodes, and what could come next.

How Origins Came to Be

Creating a spin-off prequel for NCIS was an idea in the back of David J. North’s mind for a while because he always felt there was a story to be told. After being approached by Mark and Sean Harmon to tell the story of young Gibbs, he was in.

“I looked at it as this enormous opportunity to work with Gina, who’s the best writer I’ve ever known and one of my best friends,” North said.

The feeling was very much mutual as Gina Lucita Monreal jumped on the opportunity because she believes North is an amazing person and writer. For her, creating NCIS: Origins felt like coming home.

However, creating a show in an existing franchise always comes with the challenge of producing content for an already existent fanbase, people who know the stories and the characters, as well as the creators themselves. “We had a unique challenge,” Monreal said. “We wanted to create a show for our existing fanbase, honoring canon and the original show, but creating a show new viewers could enjoy just as much.”

While they worked to insert easter eggs and nuggets to honor the show’s canon, North agrees that the challenge is creating something for people who may have never seen NCIS, “if that’s possible after 20 years.” So far, it seems to have been possible.

“I’m most proud [of the fact that] people can sit down and watch even if they’ve never seen NCIS before, and they’re not going to miss a beat,” North shared.

What has helped them reach their goal of connecting with new viewers is that the show is also available to stream on Paramount+. North said several friends have told him they binge-watch the show on the streaming platform because it gives them time to catch up.

“Continuing character stories and wondering what happens within the relationships of these people make [NCIS: Origins] bingeable,” Monreal added.

What to Expect Moving Forward

Even though, as creators, they’ve looked to create a show for all types of viewers, most people tuning in are Gibbs’s fans. North explained that they are excited to explore every part of who Gibbs is. Fans got to know him as Harmon’s version, but now they get a more raw version of this character.

“This version plays having just lost his family, the murder, and finding his way. We introduce how he became an NCIS agent through his friendship with his landlord. We’re figuring this out as we go, but staying true and honest to this character and having those discussions with Mark Harmon himself,” North said.

Monreal did point out that they’ve reached a natural pause in Gibbs’s backstory.

“We’re excited to dig into the other characters in our ensemble. So now we’ll get to feature Frank’s story, for instance,” Monreal explained. “All of these characters we were setting up in the front half of the season can now become a focal point for episodes moving forward.”

When we met Gibbs, what became important were the characters that surrounded him – his found family. Even though NCIS: Origins is in the past, they don’t close the door to the possibility of seeing some of the other characters that were important to Gibbs.

“We are very aware of canon, and we’re constantly checking it and making sure that we’re staying true to it,” Monreal said. “But we also understand that there are many opportunities within canon to expand our world, so we’re never closed off to any of those possibilities.”

The Essence of NCIS

While NCIS: Origins is a show that could stand alone, it is still part of a franchise that’s been on the air for over two decades. Therefore, finding what connects this show to the rest of them is important.

For North, it is about the chemistry between the actors and the writing. “After 20 years writing it, what’s special is what’s happening with the agency between the cracks. You want strong investigations and cases, but really it’s about the people solving those cases.”

While Monreal agreed with him, she also pointed out NCIS is about a found family. “I think that’s why people relate to it, because they can see themselves in that family, and we try to stay true to that as well with ours,” she said.

Nevertheless, plenty of NCIS: Origins helps it stand out from the other shows.

“We’re the first spin-off not to be based on a city. We’re based on a character, and now based on an ensemble of characters,” North explained. “Before there was so much high tech with forensics, it was all about solving the cases by putting pencil to paper, and we use the characters to solve these cases.”

But for Monreal, what helps NCIS: Origins stand out is the music. They have turned the music into the show’s focal point by using an 80s and 90s soundtrack. Monreal writes with songs in mind, making sure they make them part of the storyline. “She writes the actual songs into the script,” North said.

But fear not, even if the songs run out, the inspiration won’t. North and Monreal use each other as inspiration, writing things into the show that would make one another laugh.

They also write with the actors in mind. “I can hear their voices in my head,” Monreal said, “and that makes it so much easier and more fun to write. That is a driving force when we’re writing.”

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NCIS: Origins airs Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.

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