Mark Harmon’s Full Return to ‘NCIS’ Is ‘Difficult’ for Wife Pam Dawber: ‘He Promised’ He’d ‘Retire’

Mark Harmon is exploring more acting opportunities amid his highly anticipated return to the NCIS franchise, a source tells Closer, much to the dismay of his wife of 29 years, Pam Dawber.

“This was not the plan. He promised her that he was going to retire completely, then he backtracked,” reveals the source. “He was just going to make a brief comeback to help save NCIS and now, he’s back to working full-time and it’s completely consuming him.”

At first, the NCIS alum, 72, simply served as an executive producer and narrator of the prequel series, NCIS: Origins. But after reprising the role of special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in a 2025 crossover event, Harmon is set to appear in every single episode of NCIS: Origins season three, premiering October 6.

“Pam is doing her best to be supportive, but it’s difficult because this is just so different than what she’d envisioned,” admits the source. “They’re in their mid-70s now, she thought they’d finally reached the stage where they could slow down and enjoy life together without everything revolving around Mark’s schedule.”

As Closer previously reported, Harmon and Dawber, 74, imagined living a quieter life once they retired, even having a 1972 Airstream Trailer renovated in the hopes that they’d travel more.

“On one hand, she is happy to see him so fired up,” says the source. “She’d much rather that than have him sitting at home bored, but it also feels like all their retirement dreams are on hold.”

And they might be for a while.

“He’s clearly got the acting bug again, so she can’t help but worry that this is only the beginning,” adds the source. “If the right offers start coming in, saying no is going to be very difficult, and that’s going to mean more time apart, which is exactly what she doesn’t want.”