NCIS: Origins Loses Showrunner After Season 2 in Shocking Offscreen Exit

NCIS: Origins is the latest CBS series to undergo off-screen changes, with the prequel losing a showrunner after two seasons.

Co-showrunner Miss Lucita Monreal is leaving the show at the end of the current season, according to TVLine i Deadline. David J. North will remain and serve as the sole showrunner from now on.

“Gina has been an important and beloved member of the ‘NCIS’ family for many years,” said CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach and president of CBS Studios. David Stapf He said in a joint statement on Wednesday, January 28. “We are incredibly grateful to her for helping to launch and direct NCIS: Origins and bring these incredible characters and stories to life. We look forward to working with her again in the future on new projects and know that the creative foundation she helped build will continue to thrive.”

Montreal issued his own statement about the surprise exit. “It has been the greatest honor of my career to write ‘NCIS: Origin’ alongside my amazing co-showrunner and friend David North,” he wrote. “I want to thank Amy Reisenbach, David Stapf and everyone at CBS Network and Studio for their support.”

He continued, “Having had this opportunity to work again with the incomparable Mark Harmon, Sean Harmon, our writers and the best cast and crew in the business, how lucky am I? I can’t wait to see what this extraordinary group has in store for Season 3.”

NCIS: Originswhich premiered in October 2024, follows a young Gibbs, a role originated by Mark Harmon — years preceding the events of NCIS. The new series picks up less than a year after Gibbs’ wife and daughter were murdered. During Season 1, Gibbs started a new job as a special agent at the NIS Camp Pendleton office while still dealing with with the consequences of losing his family.

Harmon, 74, he did his NCIS debut as Gibbs in 2003 and played the lead role for 18 years. His last appearance aired in late 2021, and Harmon hasn’t returned to the flagship show since. However, he signed on to be the narrator of the prequel series and has been executive producing the project alongside his eldest son, Sean Harmon.

“It’s a daunting task recreating Gibbs and going back and trying to tell that story while being respectful of the fans and the history of the original show,” Stowell, 41, said exclusively. Us Weekly in November 2024 before Harmon filmed actual scenes for season 2. “We want to do our best work as actors, as artists, as writers and storytellers. Even though there could be a lot of pressure, Mark Harmon makes us feel so comfortable and justified in our decisions.”

The actor revealed it it didn’t take Harmon long to share his thoughts on Stowell’s performance.

“He gave it to me right away in the room,” Stowell said. “He would talk, maybe not what to do, but definitely (she) guided me more in terms of posture and mentality, things I’ve learned to live with over time.”

Harmon, however, “never gave” Stowell a grade on his performance. “He leads by example. He’s a guy that I’ve learned a lot more about being a human being than being Gibbs,” Stowell continued. “He’s been very welcoming, not just to me and not just to the rest of the cast, but to the whole group. He’s really been a wonderful leader for us because he makes everyone feel so comfortable.”

before NCIS: Origins returned for season 2 late last year, Monreal and North teased their approach to the prequel.

“That was really our ultimate goal from the beginning was to make a show that fans of the original show would love and be satisfied with. But (it’s) also (a show) that new viewers can get into from the beginning of NCIS: Origins,” Monreal exclusively explained to we in April 2025. “Viewers can come in and not get confused and really get attached to our characters and their stories. We’ve always approached it from that point of view. I feel like we’ve succeeded.”

He continued, “We’re very interested in following the canon (events). We’re strict about that. We want to respect the mothership. We’ve both written about the mothership and we love this show. But we also love branching out with our new characters and exploring their emotional lives.”

NCIS: Origins returns Tuesday, February 24th on CBS at 9pm ET.