Why ‘NCIS: Origins’ Introduced Young Fornell — Will Other Young Versions of Franchise Characters Appear?

The character of Tobias Fornell (played by Joe Spano) was part of the very first episode of NCIS, but without a history with any of the team then. That was retconned as Spano kept appearing, with Fornell and Mark Harmon‘s Gibbs ending up going way back. And so the prequel, NCIS: Origins, has a rich history with which to play with Austin Stowell‘s Gibbs and the young Fornell (Lucas Dixon), who has now been introduced. (It’s a relationship Stowell wants to explore.)

Dixon appeared in Episode 6 when Franks (Kyle Schmid) and Wheeler (Patrick Fischler) met with an FBI agent for intel on a case. That agent called over “Tobias” to share what he’d found, which the young man did while snacking on tacos, much to Franks’ annoyance. He also rubbed Franks the wrong way for not thinking of the obvious fact that just because their person of interest had an alibi for a murder didn’t mean he wasn’t potentially buying intel from the killer.

“[Fornell’s] such an interesting character, and of course the original Fornell played by Joe Spano, who I just adore — Gina [Lucita Monreal] and I both really think it’s poetic that Fornell appeared in the pilot of what was then Navy NCIS, “Yankee White,” and to bring him in early I think was a really a no-brainer,” co-showrunner David J. North tells TV Insider. What helped seal the deal? “When we found an actor that we just thought had Joe’s look and mannerisms down perfect.”

Will Dixon return as Tobias? And what will we see between him and Gibbs, since there is that backstory to explore? “We would love to see Young Fornell come back,” says North. “And stay tuned. That might be happening sooner rather than later.”

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There are quite a few other characters across the NCIS shows whose younger versions could show up on the prequel. All North would say is that we “possibly” will see others this season.

“I don’t want to give anything away with that. We really wanted to keep it secret about young Fornell appearing, and I think it was better that we did that,” he explains. “People were really, really surprised. But I definitely saw on the internet there was a lot of talk after Episode 6. So we want to hold those, keep those close to the vest.”

Which characters do you hope to see the younger versions of on NCIS: Origins? Let us know in the comments section below.

NCIS: Origins, Returns, Monday, January 27, 2025, 10/9c, CBS