Mark Harmon Skips Ducky's Farewell: NCIS Boss Explains Why (and Hints at a Future Return!)

Will Gibbs Return to NCIS? Showrunner Drops Major Hint After Ducky's Farewell

NCIS honored the late David McCallum this past week with a tribute episode for his character Ducky, but the show’s original star Mark Harmon did not make an appearance.

Michael Weatherly, who played Tony DiNozzo on the long-running CBS series, made a cameo appearance at Ducky’s funeral.

So, why wasn’t Mark back as Gibbs? After the episode’s writer spoke out, the show’s executive producer Steven D. Binder is now sharing his thoughts too.

“We gave a lot of thought to who Ducky is connected to most, which on one level would be Gibbs,” he told TVLine. “But it was Jimmy who was there, so it was [about] who Jimmy would connect with, and also bring some levity… and that was Michael Weatherly. It’s really a no-brainer.”

So, will Mark ever be back?

“Of course the door is always open,” he said. “When we bring him back, we’re not going to bring him back for two minutes. It’s got to be something special.”

See how the NCIS team decided to write Ducky out of the show.