NCIS boss hints at Gibbs storyline for season 19

NCIS season 18 finale spoilers follow.

NCIS left us fearing for Mark Harmon's Gibbs in the season 18 finale last May and as season 19 gears up for its premiere, we are starting to get some hints about the character's fate.

The last time we saw Leroy Jethro Gibbs, he was enjoying his suspension in his newly finished boat when it exploded in the middle of the waters, leaving him barely able to keep afloat while in a pool of his own blood.

"There's some cleanup work we have to do," said showrunner Steven D. Binder about Gibbs upcoming storyline.

Related: NCIS: Hawai'i series premiere date announced

"Any number of levels of injury are possible for him," he commented to TVLine, updating fans about the character's condition. Not only that but "he's been cut off from his team, that portion of his world."

The upcoming season will see Gibbs reunite with the rest of the team though "not necessarily in a form you might have expected," he shared.

"We're going to bring the band back together to some degree, so they can do what we liked watching for 20 years, which is these people solving crimes together."

After he will regain his health (because of course, he will) the question will then become whether Gibbs will rejoin McGee: "How does McGee feel about that? Does he like being the tip of the spear? He'll have a moment where we get to see his thinking on that."

Related: NCIS: LA season 13 shares promising new filming update

Binder also previously spoke about fans' speculation which would see Gibbs' accident as a way for Harmon to take a step back from the show, even if it would mean the end of NCIS.

"A lot of things are reported on this show that aren't necessarily true," he said at the end of August. "What we're trying to focus on right now is telling the best stories we can with the characters we have – and Gibbs is a part of that world. And I think we're doing a pretty good job with that.

"Gibbs has been hunting down this serial killer, and he's doing it alone. He's cut off from his team… but in the beginning episodes, that's going to change," teased the showrunner.

NCIS season 19 premiered Monday, September 20 on CBS in the US.

Paramount Home Entertainment NCIS: Seasons 1-13 [DVD]

£100 at Amazon

Paramount Home Entertainment/CBS NCIS - Season 14 [DVD]

£18 at Amazon

Paramount Home Entertainment/CBS NCIS Season 15 [DVD]

£18 at Amazon

Paramount Home Entertainment/CBS NCIS Season 16 [DVD]

£18 at Amazon

Paramount Home Entertainment/CBS NCIS: Season 17 [DVD]

£18 at Amazon

Paramount Home Entertainment/CBS NCIS: New Orleans: The Sixth Season [DVD]

£18 at Amazon

Paramount Home Entertainment/CBS NCIS: Los Angeles: The Eleventh Season [DVD]

£18 at Amazon