The WORST episodes of NCIS: Origins
Every episode of NCIS: Origins ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of NCIS: Origins!
In 1991, years prior to the events of "NCIS," a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks.
#1 - Lean on Me
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/10/2026
When a marine captain shows up at Camp Pendleton exhibiting symptoms of a fatal virus, NIS goes on lockdown and Gibbs is forced to take charge. As panic spreads, the team races to determine whether it really is a deadly outbreak or something else entirely.
#2 - Who By Fire
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/21/2025
When the body of a college swimmer washes up on the beach, the team must determine if it was an accident or murder. Also, Gibbs prepares for his first interrogation.
#3 - The Edge
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/28/2025
When Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, a liaison from D.C. headquarters and an old acquaintance of Gibbs’, arrives to evaluate whether Pendleton needs an in-house medical examiner, not everyone trusts that’s the real reason behind his visit.
#4 - No Man Left Behind
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/4/2025
Tensions rise when Franks’ estranged older brother, Mason, blows into town, desperate for help after hitting rock bottom. Also, the team investigates the robbery of a Navy bank while Lala, still struggling after her accident, makes a decision about her future.
#5 - Funny How Time Slips Away
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/11/2025
When a naval officer mysteriously dies in the ‘90s, Gibbs and the team travel to the small dust-blown town of Serenity, Calif., where they encounter secret-harboring residents, an uncooperative sheriff and an investigation that will reverberate for decades.
#6 - Happy Birthday
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/18/2025
When an anonymous tip leads to the discovery of a young Marine’s body at a chilling crime scene, Randy believes it could be connected to a previous case where a coin was left in the victim’s throat. Also, Franks tries to track down priceless packages meant for his brother, Mason.
#7 - Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/2/2025
The team investigates the murder of a Marine who had recently been handpicked for a classified mission. Also, Wheeler’s personal life is upended, Lala is thrown by unexpected news from Vera, and Gibbs and Diane double-date with Randy and his wife.
#8 - End of the Road
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/9/2025
When Lala’s favorite CI is shot, the team joins forces with Oceanside PD to determine who was behind the attack. Also, Franks visits his brother Mason at the compound, and Gibbs’ relationship with Diane is tested when she gets a job in Los Angeles.
#9 - Fools Rush In
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/3/2026
As the team discovers Gibbs’ drunken Vegas elopement with Diane, the newlyweds contemplate their future. Also, the team investigates a fatal movie theater bombing with a connection to the Pruitt compound where Mason is staying.
#10 - The Funky Bunch
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/14/2025
Gibbs and Franks investigate the disappearance of a young Marine connected to a mysterious compound with a charismatic leader, and Lala’s fate is revealed.
#11 - Feelin' Alright?
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/17/2026
When a lieutenant’s water-logged body is discovered with a potential connection to an international smuggling ring, NIS Panama agents are called in to assist, and Gibbs comes face-to-face with an old nemesis: Special Agent Dwayne Pride. Once the two are assigned to a dangerous undercover mission together, Gibbs must find a way to move on from their past.
#12 - The Gambler
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/24/2026
When the NIS Regional Director tries to transfer Mary Jo, she reconnects with an old friend from Atlantic City to help investigate the roadside deaths of two Marines.
#13 - Homeward Bound
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/31/2026
When Dr. Tango is arrested for stealing human remains from a national park, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard returns to assist the team in proving his innocence.
#14 - The Beautiful Ballad of Gary Callahan
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 4/7/2026
When the team’s trusted K-9 agent, Gary Callahan, is critically wounded at a crime scene, NIS races to track down the culprit while a surprising pre-Pendleton chapter in Franks’ life is revealed.
#15 - Johnny B. Goode
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 4/14/2026
Lala’s determination to get Manny out of gang life lands the team in the middle of a turf war.
#16 - Who's Gonna Drive You Home?
Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 4/21/2026
While Gibbs and Lala grow closer on a case, Gibbs’ long-distance relationship with Diane is further tested by the arrival of an unexpected guest.
#17 - Rule 13
Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/28/2026
Wheeler takes command when a car bomb goes off outside NIS headquarters. Also, the truth behind Franks’ distaste for lawyers is revealed.
#18 - Hollywood Ending
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 5/5/2026
With the Camp Pendleton office in danger of being shut down, the team confronts an uncertain future.
#19 - One Flew Over
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/25/2024
NIS investigates the murder of a dementia-afflicted Jane Doe. Also, flashbacks reveal the first time Gibbs met Franks.
#20 - Enter Sandman (2)
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/14/2024
Gibbs and the gritty ragtag team continue their investigation at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office.
#21 - Bend, Don't Break
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/21/2024
A murder near Camp Pendleton leads Gibbs and the team to a suburban mall in San Diego, where Gibbs takes matters into his own hands. Franks receives an unexpected visit.
#22 - All's Not Lost
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/28/2024
Still grieving the loss of his wife and daughter, Gibbs helps the team work a case involving a missing girl. Meanwhile, Franks finds himself at odds with a team member, Lala's personal life meets work, and the moment that irrevocably changed Gibbs' life is revealed.
#23 - Last Rites
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/4/2024
With the countdown on to an execution, Franks races to extricate the location of a missing body from a death row inmate and honor a promise he made to the victim's sister before time runs out.
#24 - Incognito
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/11/2024
Gibbs goes under cover for the first time with Lala as NIS works the case of a dead Navy seaman who may have been sharing top-secret intel that poses a threat to national security; Lala struggles with an unexpected development in her personal life.
#25 - Blue Bayou
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/16/2024
As Leroy Jethro Gibbs prepares for his first Christmas without his wife and daughter, flashbacks reveal the unlikely journey that led to his first day on the job as a special agent at NIS’ Camp Pendleton office working with Mike Franks and Lala.