NCIS: Origins Sets Up Gibbs’ Original Franks Team To Be Better Than Mark Harmon’s 19-Year MCRT Squad

A new detail in NCIS: Origins hints at how Mike Franks’ original team with young Leroy Jethro Gibbs is set up to be better than Mark Harmon’s 19-year squad in the flagship series. Three years after Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs retired in NCIS season 19, the character’s story will continue on the small screen. This time, however, the focus will be on the life he had before the events of NCIS. Picking up after the death of his first wife and daughter, Shannon and Kelly, NCIS: Origins will see Gibbs’ original team, as he joins Franks’ fledgling squad.

NCIS: Origins Cast & Character Guide
The NCIS: Origins cast and characters are in a rare position to make NCIS history while revisiting the franchise’s most historic moments ever.

NCIS: Origins Camp Pendleton Office Has A Break Room (MCRT Doesn’t)
Franks’ Camp Pendleton Facility Makes It Easy For His Agent To Hang Out
As part of its marketing campaign ahead of its October premiere, a string of new NCIS: Origins official images have been released. Aside from official portrait photos of the cast, CBS already released some shots of the team’s office at Camp Pendleton. It shows Franks’ bullpen, as well as the interrogation room. While those aren’t new to the franchise, it’s surprising to see NCIS: Origins‘ facility having its own break room — complete with an arcade machine and a foosball table.

While the Navy Yards’ NCIS headquarters have some kind of lunchroom, NCIS: Origins‘ building a full kitchen/dining room hints that it will be more prominently used in the prequel. Besides the outdated appliances, the set is complete with a fridge, a stove, and a four-seater dining table. It has everything Gibbs and his original NIS squad need for sustenance as they work on tricky cases.

How Camp Pendleton’s NIS Office Sets Up Franks’ Team To Have Better Rapport Than Gibbs’ MCRT
Gibbs And His Teammates Have More Opportunities To Hang Out Casually In NCIS: Origins

These new sets for NCIS: Origins are part of the show establishing the period when the show is set. As the first prequel series in the NCIS universe, CBS needs to properly establish where it is set in the timeline, especially to alleviate any kind of confusion with regard to why a different actor is playing Gibbs after Harmon’s stint as the character. Beyond that, however, there’s a bigger storytelling potential posed by these sets. Because of them, Franks’ team in NCIS: Origins has a chance to be even better than Gibbs’ MCRT squad in the flagship project.

Frank’s Pendleton office having a break room and kitchen can show his squad hanging out with each other in a more casual setting in NCIS: Origins.

While there was no doubt that all iterations of Gibbs’ team in Navy Yard were solid, NCIS barely featured them spending time with each other outside of work. They mainly gathered to solve cases. Frank’s Pendleton office having a break room and kitchen can show his squad hanging out with each other in a more casual setting in NCIS: Origins. Granted that it may be during their breaks, but putting them in a backdrop that isn’t their bullpen or the crime scene can foster a camaraderie that extends beyond the walls of their office.

Why It Was Difficult For Gibbs’ MCRT Squad To Have The Same Dynamic As Franks’ Team
Gibbs & Franks’ Leadership Styles Are Different

Aside from the lack of any hang-out place in the office where they could all wind down, there were other factors as to why Gibbs’ NCIS team in Navy Yard didn’t get to have the same dynamics as Franks’ squad. For starters, the era of NCIS: Origins calls for more personal interactions. Back then, social media and the internet weren’t a big thing yet, essentially forcing people to actually spend time with each other for socialization. Meanwhile, Tim McGee could be in his room for hours playing video games, while Tony DiNozzo talked to women online.

Secondly, it’s also important to look at the composition of Franks’ team compared to Gibbs’ in the flagship. In NCIS: Origins, Franks’ leadership style is more relaxed (as hinted in his appearances in the original show), which means that he can easily grab a beer with his squad. Meanwhile, Gibbs can be aloof and hard to read. He spent the majority of his downtime in the 19 years he was in the main NCIS in his basement alone. Gibbs was more of a father figure to his agents, while Franks can be perceived as a colleague and even a friend.