MOVIE NEWS – Here’s something few people know: Harrison Ford was actually the original choice to lead NCIS, but he never officially got the offer. While big Hollywood stars usually stay away from TV, Ford has popped up on the small screen in some of the most acclaimed shows of recent years. Imagine if the Star Wars and Indiana Jones legend had stepped into the shoes of Jethro Gibbs—how different would TV history look?

In Tinseltown, the bigger the movie star, the more unlikely it is to see them on television. Tom Cruise starring in a 12-part suspense series? Not a chance. Leonardo DiCaprio in a Hulu biopic? Dream on. But there are always exceptions—Harrison Ford is living proof. He’s led two highly-praised shows in the 2020s—Apple TV’s Shrinking and Taylor Sheridan’s western 1923.

Ford’s fondness for TV shouldn’t surprise anyone. Many of his earliest acting gigs—though often just small parts—came from TV, including stints on The F.B.I. and Kung Fu. The future Indiana Jones was a regular guest star back in the day. So, when NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service was being planned, Ford was quickly named as a dream choice for a lead role. But a concrete offer? That never happened.

Harrison Ford Was the Original Pick for Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS

Like most police procedurals, NCIS is an ensemble drama following a team at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as they tackle military-linked crimes. Still, every law enforcement show has a central “star” character. Here, it’s Jethro Gibbs—a former Marine sniper turned special agent—who’s become iconic thanks to Mark Harmon. Only with NCIS: Origins did anyone else (Austin Stowell) play a younger Gibbs.

Interestingly, series creator Donald P. Bellisario wasn’t always convinced by Mark Harmon. Despite the actor’s self-assured swagger, Bellisario didn’t think he had the military grit or the sense of honor he wanted for the role—he wanted someone tough, steely, and genuinely respectful of service. And you can’t blame him for being picky; Bellisario was reinventing the procedural genre, and NCIS would become one of TV’s true long-runners.

The production team eventually changed their minds after seeing Harmon’s Emmy-nominated turn as Secret Service agent Simon Donovan on The West Wing. Co-executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson said everyone watched Harmon in action and agreed he deserved a shot at Gibbs.

But here’s the twist: Floyd Johnson admitted that Gibbs was originally created with Harrison Ford in mind. The logic was clear—Ford was a mega-star at the time, famous for playing tough, fast-thinking characters. His ’90s hits—Patriot Games, The Fugitive, Air Force One—proved he could handle stories filled with crime, spies, and political intrigue. Still, Johnson said no one seriously tried to get Ford, convinced he’d never agree to do a network drama.

So, in 2003, the role finally went to Harmon, with Bellisario thrilled at how much the actor had matured. Harmon went on to play Gibbs for 19 seasons, only recently stepping back from the series.

If Ford Had Starred, Would NCIS Have Survived?

Landing Harrison Ford would have been a coup for the NCIS producers, likely drawing even bigger audiences around the world. But Bellisario and company might have faced a problem sooner rather than later. Even if Ford had said yes, it’s hard to imagine him signing on for the grind of a 22-plus-episode season—often 10 or 11 months of work every year. For a film star used to one or two movies a year, that pace could have been a deal-breaker.

Realistically, if Ford had joined, he might have shown up for a handful of episodes each season so he could keep making movies. But would Gibbs have become such a legendary character if the spotlight shifted to other agents? Another possible outcome: Ford could have quit after two or three seasons, leaving the show’s future uncertain. That could have spelled the end for the whole franchise—there are plenty of TV examples where losing a major star means viewers tune out.

Mark Harmon, by contrast, was a perfect fit. He was happy to be a TV guy, uninterested in chasing blockbuster film roles. In fact, since 2010 he’s only made two movies. Dedicating two decades to Gibbs was never an issue for him—he simply is Gibbs. What could have been a one-note character became mysterious, bold, and sympathetic in his hands.

Would Ford Really Have Missed Out on Much?

So, would starring in NCIS have been a win or a loss for Harrison Ford’s career? Arguably, the Star Wars icon wouldn’t have lost much by taking the plunge. Most of his legendary films were made before 2000, and the last two decades have been a bumpy ride—more misses than hits, and only a few modern highlights. The best of them—Blade Runner 2049 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens—earned solid reviews, but most recent projects haven’t had the same impact or magic.

Ford didn’t exactly vanish after the ’90s, but his choice of roles became riskier, resulting in a string of box office duds. Only his classic franchise movies really worked. In hindsight, he might have been better off joining NCIS.

Playing Jethro Gibbs could have given Ford a fresh, exciting phase in his career—lifting him above his peers and sparing him from the underwhelming films of the last twenty years. He’d still have had time for new Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or Blade Runner sequels every few years. Plus, more and more big-name movie stars from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s have turned to TV lately: Kevin Costner thrives on Yellowstone, Sylvester Stallone kills it on Tulsa King, and even Ford himself has rediscovered his spark on television. Did he miss a golden opportunity with NCIS? Absolutely.

Source: MovieWeb