“I’m Not the Big Dog”: Mark Harmon’s Surprising Confession About His Role on ‘NCIS’ – Long Before the Pauley Perrette Feud

Before NCIS ever made headlines for behind-the-scenes drama, Mark Harmon was already setting the tone for what real leadership looked like. Despite playing the unshakable Leroy Jethro Gibbs – the heart and soul of the show – Harmon never viewed himself as the dominant force everyone assumed he was

That modesty became part of the show’s secret sauce. Even as NCIS soared to the top of TV ratings, Harmon always gave credit to the entire cast and crew, not himself. “We’ve been successful so far and we keep finding ways to grow it,” he said, reflecting on the show’s unlikely rise to fame.

He even joked about the early days, saying,

“We were able to keep it afloat a couple of years because we weren’t good enough to get all the attention and we weren’t bad enough to get canceled. … And the biggest thing: We shoot in Santa Clarita. Nobody from the network wanted to drive out there!”

Through years of cast changes and challenges – including Pauley Perrette’s controversial exit – Harmon’s calm, grounded leadership helped NCIS stay strong. He never needed to be the “big dog” to keep the pack together.