How Mark Harmon Persuaded a Longtime NCIS Director to Return
- Director Dennis Smith discussed his extensive history with the NCIS franchise on the Partners & Probies podcast, revealing that star Mark Harmon personally convinced him to return for...
- During the first 13 seasons of the flagship drama, Smith directed between three and seven episodes a season.
- He called me, and I said, ‘Whose idea was this?!’ He said, ‘It was Mark Harmon’s idea.’ I said, ‘Oh, I’d love to do it.’
Director Dennis Smith discussed his extensive history with the NCIS franchise on the Partners & Probies podcast, revealing that star Mark Harmon personally convinced him to return for Season 15 after he had already stepped away from the mothership series. Smith’s career includes a vast number of installments for the military police procedural universe. Starting with JAG, where he directed seven episodes, Smith went on to helm 63 episodes of the main NCIS series, 37 episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles, and two installments each for NOLA and the Tony & Ziva spinoff.
How Mark Harmon Brought a Veteran Director Back to NCIS
During the first 13 seasons of the flagship drama, Smith directed between three and seven episodes a season. After helming the Season 13 episode Homefront, he left the show and assumed his time directing the mothership series had concluded. Plans changed during production of Season 15 when another director dropped out ahead of a major courtroom episode centered on Gibbs. Star and executive producer Mark Harmon intervened directly, asking producers to bring Smith back for the dramatic testimony sequence.
He called me, and I said, ‘Whose idea was this?!’ He said, ‘It was Mark Harmon’s idea.’ I said, ‘Oh, I’d love to do it.’
Director Dennis Smith via YouTube
Future Prospects for the Franchise and the 2026 Fall Schedule
Although Smith has not directed for the flagship series since that Season 15 stint, a potential return to the director’s chair remains possible. Smith recently visited the studio during celebrations for the franchise’s 1,000th episode and spoke with Steven J. Binder about potentially directing another episode in the near future. The broader television landscape is preparing for a major expansion of the franchise. CBS has scheduled the return of multiple series for Tuesday, October 6, 2026. The network will broadcast the Season 24 premiere of NCIS at 8:00 p.m. ET, followed by the series premiere of NCIS: New York at 9:00 p.m. ET, and the Season 3 premiere of NCIS: Origins at 10:00 p.m. ET. Every episode will be available for streaming the following day via a Paramount+ subscription.
