It’s the end of an era.
Mark Harmon has finally been removed from NCIS‘ opening credits 11 months after his departure from the hit CBS seriess. The star, who played Leroy Jethro Gibbs, was in the title sequence for the entirety of season 19, despite the fact that he exited the series four episodes into the season.
Gibbs had decided that he was ready for a break from the high-stakes job, choosing to stay in Alaska where he’ll spend his days fishing. As Gibbs explained to Sean Murray‘s character McGee, it was the one place where he finally “felt a sense of peace” following the death of his wife Shannon (Darby Stanchfield) and his daughter Kelly (Mary Mouser).
McGee has now stepped up to the plate in Gibbs’ absence and is the first character in the opening credits. He’s followed in the title sequence by co-stars Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, David McCallum, Rocky Carroll and Gary Cole.