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"&lt;p&gt;NCIS has gone through a number of cast changes over its nearly 20 years on the air, but until Season 19, Mark Harmons had been one of the shows few constants since the beginning. However, in Season 19&#39;s fourth episode, Great Wide Open, Harmon left the popular television program, although he remained visible throughout the remainder of the season. 10 months after that episode, Harmon has finally spoken out about the big Gibbs passing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Season 19 of NCIS premiered on May 23 and was just a month away from Season 20&#39;s launch with an NCIS: Hawaii crossover. In the meantime, the DVD collection of Season 19 will be released on Tuesday, August 16, and ET was looped in on a special featurette where Mark Harmon talked about where we left off with Gibbs, saying:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What has always drew me to this character is the ability to keep it fresh and challenging. Plot-wise, this character has taken the route that it took. I thought it was fair and acceptable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mark Harmons&#39; departure from NCIS began to form in the second half of Season 18, shortly after the show said its final goodbyes to Maria Bellos Jacqueline Sloane. After being suspended from NCIS for assaulting a suspect who was abusing dogs, Gibbs began forming a friendship with reporter Marcie Warren, played by Harmons&#39; real-life wife Pam Dawber, and the two worked together to investigate a series of mysterious murders. But his new boat was blown up in the final&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gibbs escaped the attempted killing of his life, and over his four Season 19 episodes, he discovered the truth about why these killings took place. This ultimately led him and Sean Murrays Timothy McGee to Nekton Bay, Alaska, where they met Gary Coles and Alden Parker, who eventually released Gibbs. Because he had found a sense of peace, the character decided to stay in Alaska rather than return to Washington D.C. with Cole and McGee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mark Harmon stated in this NCIS Season 19 featurette that he thought Gibbs&#39; journey for these final episodes made sense in terms of reimagining the character, as it felt like the kind of path Gibbs would take today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&#39;m not retired... The character, according to what I know, is living in Alaska.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alden Parker, who was sacked by the FBI, was hired to take over as team leader for McGee, Wilmer Valderramas Nick Torres, and Katrina Laws Jessica Knight throughout the remainder of Season 19, including when it was revealed that he had established a college scholarship club. And while Sean Murray said shortly before the Season 19 finale that he believes that the possibility of Mark Harmon returning to the CBS show someday, CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl said the door is open if he&lt;/p&gt;"
<https://ewwnews.com/article/250660/mark-harmon-of-ncis-has-finally-spoken-out-about-gibbs-s-leaving-in-season-19/>