NCIS lost its leading man in Gibbs when Mark Harmon left after 19 years – but the detective’s presence is still felt even in the latest episode.
NCIS may have lost leading man Leroy Jethro Gibbs back in 2019, but his presence is still being felt by the team.
As season 20 continued, the latest episode, titled In The Spotlight, saw Jess Knight (played by Katrina Law) end up over her head and praised as a hero after saving a mother and her son from a car wreck.
While she was unable to save the third person in the car before it exploded, her rescue mission is caught on video and goes viral, turning her into “Wonder Woman” in the eyes of the media who want to know more about her.
This gets old very quickly for Knight, especially as the case is a lot more complicated than it first appeared – and the woman involved in the accident goes missing from the hospital.
As the team investigates further, Knight is benched from the team as she’s attracting too much attention.
Left to look after the woman’s child Adam (Elias Janssen), she keeps a low profile by heading to the same diner Gibbs was known to go to for his morning coffee during his time on the show.
Fans were quick to pick up the reference, and were happy that the beloved character’s presence was still being felt even though he’s no longer part of the show.
“Yippee, so nice to see Elaine (Connie Jackson) back in Gibbs diner in tonight’s ep. Thank you #NCIS,” wrote user @serenagarde.
“Why does Alden Parker sound just like Gibbs?” joked @jesspolished.
While @hcmv007 added: “The team still goes to Gibbs favorite diner! #NCIS”
It seems the diner is the perfect place to unwind – with Adam opening up to Knight about his mother as she promises to keep an eye out for him.
He even plays her some of the tracks he’d mixed on his phone, which provides the key to blowing the whole case wide open with evidence the team thought was lost.
Once his mother is found safe (albeit after a showdown with a cartel), Adam makes sure Knight remembers the hero she is by sending her a compilation of all the news reports made of the heroic efforts that saved his life.
NCIS airs weekly on CBS in the US.
