“NCIS: Origins” co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal will exit the CBS prequel series at the end of Season 2 to pursue new projects. Co-creator and showrunner David J. North will remain with the series, which was recently renewed for Season 3.
Monreal and North co-created the “NCIS” prequel series, which follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the early days of his tenure at the NIS as part of a team of investigators led by his mentor, Mike Franks. The show is based on an idea from executive producers Mark and Sean Harmon, who played Gibbs in the flagship “NCIS.”
“Gina has been an important beloved member of the ‘NCIS’ family for many years. We are incredibly grateful to her for helping launch and steer ‘NCIS: Origins,’ and bringing these incredible characters and stories to life. We look forward to working with her again in the future on new projects, and know the creative foundation she helped build will continue to thrive,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios president David Stapf said in a statement.
Monreal has a long history with the “NCIS” franchise. She was a writer and producer on the flagship series for seven years before exiting in 2021 to work on other projects. She was a producer and writer on Netflix’s “Griselda” limited series, starring Sofía Vergara as well as Season 1 of Hulu drama “Paradise,” starring Sterling K. Brown.
“It’s been the biggest honor of my career to write ‘NCIS: Origins’ alongside my incredible co-showrunner and friend David North. I want to thank Amy Reisenbach, David Stapf, and everyone at CBS Network and Studio for their support. To have had this opportunity to work again with the incomparable Mark Harmon, Sean Harmon, our writers, and the best cast and crew in the business — how lucky am I? I can’t wait to see what this extraordinary group cooks up for Season 3,” Monreal said in a statement.
North is also a veteran of the “NCIS” universe, even serving as co-showrunner on the flagship series.
“Long before Gina was my incredible writing partner on ‘NCIS: Origins,’ she was, and remains, one of my closest friends. I couldn’t have imagined launching this show with anyone else, and even though Gina won’t be working with us on a daily basis next season, the characters and stories she helped create will live on. I can’t wait to team up with her again in the future,” North said in a statement.
“NCIS: Origins” Season 2 returns with new episodes March 3 on CBS and streams the next day on Paramount+.
