NCIS season 19: CBS boss plays coy on Mark Harmon’s future as Gibbs

Just how much are we going to get of Mark Harmon as Gibbs on NCIS season 19? We know that he’s coming back, but trying to get anyone involved with the show to say more than that is somewhat of a challenge.

We know that rumors out there suggest that the actor will appear in just a handful of upcoming episodes, so why won’t anyone either confirm or deny that 100%? There could be a few different reasons…

Watch our NCIS season 18 finale review now! In this discussion we get into a lot of big topics pertaining to Gibbs, whether it be the future of Gibbs or Bishop’s departure from the series. After you check that out, remember to SUBSCRIBE to Matt & Jess on YouTube; there are going to be more discussions coming on the series and we don’t want you to miss them moving into the September 20 premiere!

In a new interview with Deadline this week at the TCA Summer Press Tour, CBS programming boss Kelly Kahl had his own unique way of taking on the question of Harmon’s future: “Mark’s always been part of the show, Mark’s always going to be part of the show … In terms of his on-air appearances, we’re just going to have to see how it plays out going forward.”

Why not say more than that? It’s likely because it’s a no-win discussion for CBS to have right now. If they specify an exact episode count, that could discourage viewers from watching episodes that do not feature Gibbs. Meanwhile, walking away from the question entirely just makes people mad. There is no real middle ground here, but they’ve determined that keeping people upset and/or in the dark is better than the alternative of them losing interest in the show. Their hope may be that people watch some episodes without Gibbs and legitimately enjoy them — they way, they avoid having to make too many statements at all about Harmon’s future. If Mark himself ever wants to leave the show entirely, there’s a chance he could make that clear in some sort of statement.

Related – Check out some new photos for the NCIS season 19 premiere

How much of Mark Harmon do you think we’ll see on NCIS season 19?

Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do just that, stick around for all sorts of other updates. (Photo: CBS.)

This article was written by Jess Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.