The writers behind the final scene of Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS crafted the moment in record time. David J. North and Brendan Fehily built the scene where Gibbs says he feels a sense of peace in Naktok Bay, Alaska, that he hadn’t felt since before his wife Shannon and daughter Kelly were killed in roughly 10 minutes. It was a massive goodbye for fans, but it was a remarkably quick piece of writing behind the cameras.
During a talk on Partners & Probies, North recalled how writing “Great Wide Open” with Fehily was a “crazy thing”, given that the scene bid farewell to a character Harmon had been playing for nearly 20 years. The episode in question was season 19 episode “Great Wide Open,” which marked Harmon’s final appearance as that character on NCIS proper.
A Writer’s Quick Pace
North described how his and Fehily’s writing process is physically active. The former “pace around the room” and “just start dictating stuff,” while the latter “collects his thoughts and puts them together, and then says ‘No, rearrange this or whatever.’” North said the final scene in the Alaska river was written in under half an hour.
“We did Mark’s final scene in the river in Alaska, I’m telling you, no exaggeration, [in] probably 10 minutes.”
North explained to Fehily that they needed to rewrite other parts of the script, and Fehily continued to ask about specific lines throughout their exchange. North’s response to Fehily’s persistence was “Just leave that shit. It’s going to be tweaked so many times. We’re going to have so many cooks in the kitchen on this thing. Just leave it. I don’t even want to talk about it anymore.”.
The Moment In Alaska
In Alaska, the action unfolds along a river, where Gibbs tells McGee that the location brings back a sense of peace he hasn’t felt since his wife Shannon and daughter Kelly were murdered.
After the cameras stopped rolling, North approached Fehily and said, “I can’t believe that was just what I vomited out in 10 minutes.”
From JAG To NCIS
Harmon first appeared as Gibbs in the JAG two-parter “Ice Queen” and “Meltdown,” which functioned as NCIS’ backdoor pilot. The show premiered five months later. Season 1’s main cast included Michael Weatherly, Sasha Alexander, Pauley Perrette, and David McCallum, all of whom were introduced in those JAG episodes except Alexander.
Harmon was among the series’s executive producers in season 6, a role he retained through the character’s parting cast members. He appeared in every one of NCIS first 18 seasons and in the first four episodes of season 19, before “Great Wide Open.”.
A Favorite Scene
In 2024, Sean Murray, who plays McGee, described the goodbye scene as one of his “favorite scenes” he’s done. The moment remains a touchstone for fans of the show.
Though Harmon hasn’t appeared on NCIS since “Great Wide Open,” it was strongly implied that Gibbs killed the man responsible for Leon Vance’s murder in the season 23 episode “Deal with the Devil.” Harmon also guest starred in four episodes of NCIS: New Orleans between 2014 and 2021.
Gibbs Remains In NCIS: Origins
Harmon remains attached to Gibbs through NCIS: Origins, where he executive produces and narrates every episode as the character. He reprised Gibbs on camera in the pilot and season 2’s “Funny How Time Slips Away.” Harmon is set to appear in all of NCIS: Origins season 3’s episodes for a present-day storyline, while Austin Stowell will continue to play the younger Gibbs in the show’s early 1990s setting.
The October Premiere
NCIS season 24 and NCIS: Origins season 3 are set to premiere Tuesday, October 6. NCIS airs at 8 p.m. ET, while NCIS: Origins follows at 10 p.m. ET for CBS’ fall 2026 TV slate. Sandwiched between them is the new franchise entry NCIS: New York, which sees LL Cool J reprising Sam Hanna in a regular capacity following his tenure in the entirety of NCIS: Los Angeles.
A Reminder About Writing
North and Fehily’s process was a reminder that writing this scene was fast but focused. North described pacing around the room and dictating lines while Fehily collected thoughts and rearranged them, and they got the scene done in under 10 minutes.
The writers trusted their instincts and got the scene done quickly.
What The Scene Actually Did
In Alaska, Gibbs found a brief period of calm, a quiet ending to years of grief. It arrived after almost two decades on the show, and the writers did not spend days crafting it.
Anyone watching or writing shows can learn from that. The best lines do not always come from hours of polishing. Sometimes they arrive fast, and that is the lesson.
See the video the story is built around at Screen Rant.
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