Mark Harmon saw his NCIS exit coming long before fans did. Two years before leaving, he hinted that his time as Gibbs wouldn’t last forever. And when the moment arrived, it felt more like a well-placed clue than a shocking twist. After nearly two decades leading the hit procedural, Harmon had already made peace with the inevitable.

Mark Harmon in NCIS | Credits:: CBS

But was his departure always the plan, or was there more to the story? Turns out, his exit was set in motion long before he ever stepped off-screen.

Mark Harmon saw it coming: His 2019 words foreshadowed his NCIS exit in 2021 Mark Harmon in NCIS | Credits:: CBS

Mark Harmon saw it coming. Even before his departure from NCIS in 2021, the longtime star had hinted at his eventual exit — two years earlier. Back in 2019, Harmon admitted he understood the nature of television (via People):

Nothing goes on forever,...