NCIS on M6: Why isn’t Mark Harmon (Gibbs) in the Duke tribute episode?

This Saturday, May 11 at 9:50 p.m., M6 will broadcast the new season 21 episode 2 of NCIS. It’s a very special episode because it’s an episode of David McCallum, the interpreter of the character Duck, who died at the age of 90 on September 25 of natural causes.

entitled “Goodbye Duke“, this episode allowed two former heroes of the detective series to appear to say goodbye to their former colleague.

Return of Michael Weatherly

Michael Weatherly, who has been absent from NCIS since 2016, returns to the series at the end of this twist-filled episode. As Palmer (Brian Dietzen) prepares to give a speech honoring his mentor, Tony DiNozzo shows up with a gift for him: a bow tie in the same style as Ducky’s. DiNozzo then tells Palmer that he was Duck’s golden friend and then they head to the ceremony.

However, DiNozzo isn’t the only one to appear in Episode 2. Gibbs’ character sends McGee (Sean Murray) a letter containing an old photo of them together with their missing friend. A symbolic “reappearance” that greatly disappointed fans who expected Mark Harmon to be in the flesh.

Why is Mark Harmon missing?

Interview of our colleagues TVLineExecutive producer Steven D. Bider explained the reasons behind Mark Harmon’s absence from the cast of NCIS Season 21, Episode 2. According to him, DiNozzo’s return made much more sense narratively.

“It was Jimmy who was at the center of the story, so we had to think about who Jimmy could communicate with and who could bring some lightness… and that was Michael Weatherly. It was obvious“.

However, Stephen D. Binder isn’t giving up on the idea of ​​orchestrating Mark Harmon’s return, but he wants to do it right. “Of course, the door is always open,” he explained. “When we get him back, we’re not going to do it for two minutes. This will be a special moment.“

Catch season 21 of NCIS starting this Saturday 11th May at 9.10pm on M6.