Longtime ‘NCIS’ star Mark Harmon is leaving the series after 18 seasons. The 70-year-old Harmon appeared as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in his final episode of the police procedural series on Monday, which showed Gibbs deciding to remain in Alaska indefinitely after solving a case. Gibbs told his partner, Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray): “I’m not going back, Tim. I’m not going back home.”

Harmon will continue to serve as an executive producer on NCIS; showrunner Steven D. Binder said in a statement: “As an executive producer and dear friend, Mark continues to be an integral part of the fabric of the show. Our north star has always been staying true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we tell and where those characters go. So regarding the future of Gibbs, as long-time fans of the show may have noticed over the years… never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out.”

NCIS is in its 19th season on CBS. The series co-stars Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, David McCallum and Rocky Carroll.

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