This is how fans react to young Gibbs in the new NCIS series

The latest series from the NCIS franchise comes with a special twist: Instead of another spin-off that deals with the investigations of another team in another city, this time we’re diving into the past of the crime fiction universe – specifically into the past of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

For over two decades, he was portrayed by Mark Harmon in the main series. The prequel NCIS: Origins tells of his beginnings as a special agent in the 1990s. While Harmon returns for guest appearances as the aged Gibbs, Austin Stowell revives the young version of the NCIS icon to life.

But how is the young Gibbs received by the fans?

Austin Stowell as young Gibbs: This is what NCIS fans say about the first appearance of Mark Harmon’s successor

A few hours ago, the first season of NCIS: Origins celebrated its US premiere on CBS, where all other series in the franchise are also based. It didn’t take long until first reactions to Austin Stowell and his Gibbs interpretation ended up on the Internet. At first glance, many opinions are positive.

“Austin Stowell is awesome as Gibbs”writes a fan on Twitter.

“All the mannerisms Austin has from Gibbs, he did the job, he’s literally a young Gibbs, I love it”is the conclusion of another fan.

The intro already sent NCIS fans into ecstatic excitement.

“Oh my fucking God, welcome back, Leroy Jethro Gibbs”it says elsewhere on Twitter and the enthusiasm is literally palpable.

However, there are not only positive voices. Some fans are also critical:

There are only two things that can’t go wrong when casting Gibbs: 1) His eyes and 2) His height… Both are sooooo far apart that the series never believable will be. Austin may be great, but unless the older Gibbs wears contacts and is shrunk, I just don’t buy it!

And what do the reviews say? Variety has the following description of Austin Stowell’s NCIS debut as young Gibbs:

Stowell comes across as a handsomer, taller, more shapely Gibbs than the one we met in middle age […]. If anything, resembles Stowell more [Jimmy Palmer-Darsteller] Brian Dietzen with a bigger neck than Harmon – and he occasionally acts like Harmon, as he has to play the guy whose mouth sometimes hangs open when he’s introduced to the world of grisly corpses and crime solving.

Physically, Stowell is vastly different from Harmon:

Stowell isn’t much taller than Harmon in real life, but here he seems to tower over every other member of the cast, a strong athletewho is thrust into the role of a supernaturally intuitive agent. It’s so discordant in many ways that Origins feels almost more like a reboot than a prequel.

But there are some attempts at approximation when it comes to the voice:

There are moments when you sense Stowell moving away from his naturally booming voice and more towards it Harmon’s quieter rasping – which is important because Harmon comments on the series primarily at the beginning and end of the episodes, expressing his thoughts on a life spent largely in isolation.

The Los Angeles Times sees it similarly:

As for Stowell, he’s square-jawed and broad-shouldered, and although his casting was obviously the end of much debate, he doesn’t seem like anyone to mewho will grow up to be Mark Harmon.

Meanwhile, USA Today says:

Stowell […] clearly took notes from Harmon’s many NCIS episodes. He keeps Gibbs’ classic stoicism and his prickly demeanor without much effort. He glows with every look and has a jawline that could cut glass, so it’s not hard to see why CBS chose him. When does NCIS: Origins start in Germany?

So far there is no German start date for NCIS: Origins. The 21st season of the main series was shown in this country on Sat.1 and Joyn chose it as its streaming home. Meanwhile, the spin-off NCIS: Hawaii was housed at Paramount+. There has never been a timely release for any NCIS series yet. That’s why we should be prepared for a few months of waiting for Origins.