The Dark Past of Mark Harmon on “NCIS”

“NCIS” is undoubtedly one of the most popular and watched police shows. Started in 2003 as a spin-off of “JAG, it quickly became one of the most popular among viewers who found pure entertainment in this fictional world. Of course, they had to overcome some challenges to get to where they are now.

The CBS police drama was apparently suffering the consequences of failed series. People weren’t watching, and Mark Harmon’s charisma wasn’t enough to keep them interested in more episodes. As a result, some changes were made, one of which involved losing his job.

By 2007, just four years after “NCIS” launched, the differences between Harmon and the showrunner Donald Bellisario were already clear. The interests of the fictional lead character and the person responsible for the creative decisions in each episode did not align in the slightest. There was a talk of Mark not liking Bellisario’s “chaotic driving style”.

As a result, the signal deduced that between Mark and Donald, only one of them was essential to the proper functioning of “NCIS“. They forced Bellisario to resign and set out to find a new showrunner with whom Harmon could better work. After all, he was the center of the show. Chas. Floyd Johnson and Shane Brennan filled the vacant role.

The future of Harmon

Mark Harmon announced his retirement before production on the 19th season of “NCIS” was confirmed. However, facing the possibility that the series would be canceled due to the loss of its lead actor, the actor preferred to reduce his on-screen presence rather than resign. So CBS approved another delivery, and the fictional managers went in search of a replacement, which they found in the actor Gary Cole.