NCIS: Origins is heading into Season 3 with one of its most important relationships facing a new level of pressure. At the center of the prequel is the young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Austin Stowell, and the veteran Mike Franks, played by Kyle Schmid. Their mentor-and-protégé relationship has already become one of the defining elements of the series, but Season 3 is preparing to test both men professionally and personally. The Camp Pendleton office is facing the threat of closure, while Gibbs is still trying to establish himself as an investigator and understand what kind of agent he wants to become. With Mark Harmon also returning as the older Gibbs in a season-long present-day mystery, the new season could reveal just how important Franks was to the man Gibbs eventually became.
Camp Pendleton Is Suddenly in Real Danger
The biggest immediate problem for Gibbs and Franks is the uncertain future of their Camp Pendleton office. Season 2 ended with the team confronting the possibility that the office could be shut down after a scandal brought unwanted scrutiny to its operations. That cliffhanger puts the entire group in an uncomfortable position because their careers, relationships and sense of purpose are suddenly threatened. Franks has spent years building a team that works according to his instincts and methods, while Gibbs is only beginning to understand what it means to belong to that team. If the office disappears, both men could be forced to rethink the professional path they have been building together. Season 3 therefore begins with a threat that is bigger than any individual case.
Franks Has More to Lose Than Gibbs
For Mike Franks, the threat to Camp Pendleton is deeply personal because he is the leader responsible for the team. He has created an unconventional group of investigators and expects them to trust one another even when his methods are difficult to understand. Losing the office would not simply mean losing a workplace; it could mean losing the team he has spent years protecting and shaping. Gibbs, meanwhile, is still early enough in his career that he could potentially move somewhere else and continue developing. That difference could create tension between the two men because Franks may see the fight to save the office as a matter of loyalty, while Gibbs may begin questioning what his future should look like. Their disagreement could ultimately become one of the season’s most revealing conflicts.
Gibbs Is Still Becoming Gibbs
One of the reasons the Franks-Gibbs relationship remains so compelling is that young Gibbs is still far from the legendary agent viewers know from NCIS. He is talented, determined and capable of making difficult decisions, but he has not yet developed the controlled confidence that eventually defines him. Franks recognizes that potential, which is why his mentorship matters so much. Every investigation gives Gibbs another lesson in how to read people, trust his instincts and survive situations that cannot be solved by following rules alone. Season 3 can continue showing the gradual transformation of Gibbs without rushing him toward the finished version of the character.
Their Different Methods Could Finally Collide
Gibbs and Franks have always shared certain instincts, but they do not approach every problem in exactly the same way. Franks is older, more experienced and willing to operate according to his own understanding of justice, while Gibbs is still learning where the boundaries should be. As Gibbs becomes more confident, he may begin questioning some of the decisions his mentor makes. That does not necessarily mean their relationship will fall apart, but it could make their partnership more complicated. Season 3 could therefore show the moment when Gibbs stops being simply Franks’ student and starts developing a professional philosophy of his own.
The Team’s Loyalty Will Be Tested
The danger facing Camp Pendleton could also test the loyalty of everyone around Gibbs and Franks. A team can remain united when the problem is an outside suspect, but things become much more complicated when the institution itself questions whether the team should continue to exist. Some members may want to fight for the office, while others could consider opportunities elsewhere. Lala Dominguez, Mary Jo Sullivan, Vera Strickland and Randy Randolf all have their own reasons for deciding what comes next. The pressure could reveal which relationships are strong enough to survive even if the team itself is threatened.
Lala Adds Another Complication for Gibbs
Gibbs is also entering Season 3 with his personal life becoming more complicated. His relationship with Lala developed throughout the second season, culminating in their first kiss in the finale. Lala’s decision to remain with the team means that their professional and personal lives will continue overlapping. For Gibbs, that creates another challenge because he has historically struggled to balance emotional vulnerability with his demanding career. Franks may not be directly involved in their relationship, but his influence over Gibbs could still affect how the young agent handles it. The more Gibbs begins caring about people around him, the more he has to confront the emotional side of the life he is building.
The Present-Day Gibbs Changes the Stakes
Season 3 becomes even more interesting because Mark Harmon will appear as present-day Gibbs in every episode. His storyline involves a mystery connected to his Camp Pendleton days in the 1990s, creating a direct link between Gibbs’ past and his present. That means the audience will be able to see the consequences of the experiences young Gibbs is currently living through. Franks’ influence can therefore be viewed from two different perspectives: as the mentor shaping Gibbs in the 1990s and as a figure from the past whose impact is still felt decades later. The present-day mystery could eventually reveal why particular moments from Gibbs’ early career remained important to him.
Franks May Be the Key to the Older Gibbs
Mark Harmon’s return gives the show an opportunity to explore something the original NCIS could only discuss through memories and dialogue. Fans already know that Mike Franks became one of the most important influences on Gibbs, but Origins can show exactly how that influence developed. Season 3 could demonstrate which lessons Gibbs carried with him long after leaving Camp Pendleton and which ones he eventually rejected. The older Gibbs’ involvement makes those questions even more meaningful because viewers can compare the young agent with the man he eventually becomes. Franks may therefore become more than a supporting character in the prequel; he could be one of the central explanations for Gibbs’ entire professional identity.
Their Biggest Challenge May Be Staying Together
The most emotional possibility for Season 3 is that Gibbs and Franks could discover that loyalty does not always mean remaining in the same place. If Camp Pendleton closes, Franks may have to consider what happens to his team and whether he can continue leading them somewhere else. Gibbs, meanwhile, could face a choice about whether to follow his mentor or establish his own path. Such a decision would be important because Gibbs’ eventual career becomes one of the longest and most influential in the NCIS universe. The season could use the potential separation to show why their bond survives even when circumstances force them apart.
Franks’ Mentorship Could Become More Difficult
A good mentor does not simply teach someone how to succeed; eventually, a mentor has to accept that the student may surpass them. Gibbs is moving closer to that point, and Season 3 could explore how Franks reacts when his protégé begins making decisions independently. Franks may disagree with Gibbs at times precisely because he sees how much potential the younger agent has. Their arguments could therefore carry more emotional weight than ordinary disagreements between colleagues. Every conflict has the potential to push Gibbs toward becoming the independent investigator viewers eventually recognize. In that sense, Franks’ greatest contribution may be preparing Gibbs for the day when he no longer needs Franks standing beside him.
The Past Is About to Catch Up With Them
The season-long mystery involving older Gibbs suggests that the events of Camp Pendleton will have consequences far beyond the 1990s storyline. Something from that period has remained significant enough to draw Gibbs back into an investigation decades later. That raises an intriguing possibility: the biggest challenge facing young Gibbs and Franks may not disappear when the original case is closed. Their decisions could create consequences that continue shaping Gibbs’ life long after he leaves the office. The parallel timelines allow NCIS: Origins to build suspense by showing viewers that certain moments from Gibbs’ youth are going to matter again.
Season 3 Could Define Their Legacy
Ultimately, Season 3 has the opportunity to make the Gibbs-Franks relationship the emotional backbone of NCIS: Origins. The threat to Camp Pendleton gives them an external challenge, while Gibbs’ growing independence creates an internal one. Franks must decide how much he can protect his team, while Gibbs must decide what kind of agent he wants to become. At the same time, the present-day storyline will show how those early experiences continue to influence Gibbs decades later. With Season 3 premiering October 6, 2026, the next chapter could be the most important yet for understanding why Mike Franks became such a legendary figure in Gibbs’ life.
Gibbs and Franks Are Strongest When Tested
What makes the upcoming season so promising is that the challenge facing Gibbs and Franks is not simply another case to solve. Their entire professional foundation is being threatened, and their relationship is evolving at the same time. Gibbs is becoming more independent, Franks is being forced to defend the team he built, and the possibility of losing Camp Pendleton puts everything they have created at risk. Mark Harmon’s present-day storyline adds another layer by reminding viewers that these early years will eventually become part of Gibbs’ larger legacy. If Season 3 follows through on that setup, the biggest challenge for Gibbs and Franks may not be defeating an enemy at all. It may be discovering whether the bond between mentor and protégé can survive the moment when Gibbs finally begins to become the man Franks always knew he could be.