Mark Harmon Says Goodbye To 'NCIS' After Almost 20 Years

There are not many actors that stay with a show as long as Mark Harmon stayed with NCIS.

The 70-year-old veteran actor was a part of the CBS show for more than 18 seasons, and 20 years and perfectly executed the character of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

The fourth episode of season 19, which aired on October 11th, marked Harmon's last appearance on the show. In this episode, Harmon (the character played by Harmon) chose to stay in Alaska after he and another special agent solved a murder case.

For many fans of Harmon, his character, Gibbs and the show, this episode was a bittersweet moment. If you missed it, here is a look at Harmon's last appearance on NCIS.

The episode titled "Great Wide Open" began with FBI Agent Alden Parker and some other agents on a search for Harmon.

The group met an agent who works with Harmon, Agent Parker (played by Gary Cole) and showed him their warrant, demanding for Harmon. Parker then went to his’ house and, upon realizing he wasn't there, called Special Agent Timothy McGee (played by Sean Murray), who claimed not to know Harmon’s whereabouts.

When Harmon appeared, it is revealed that Parker didn't know that Gibbs and McGee had gone to Alaska, having followed a lead by serial killer Paul Lemere to check out Natok bay. The two went to find out who hired Lemere and to conclude the murder case of mysterious killings.

At this point, the first hint that Harmon would not be returning was the scene where he and NCIS Director Vance had a meeting at a diner, where Vance gave him a satellite phone, and Gibbs dumped his work phone into a coffee cup, having thanked Vance for all his help.

Another touching scene was where Ducky (played by David McCallum) stopped by Gibbs' home and expressed his concern about him. He explained to Harmon that with everything Harmon faced over the last few months, such as his blown up boat, there was every reason to be concerned about him.

Harmon then tried to divert the discussion by saying that there is nothing to be worried about but eventually shared that he was going through a rough patch.

He said, “Lately, I’ve been searching. I don’t know what I’m looking for. I know being alone without the job... that was hard.”

At that point, Ducky tried to convince him to return to the NCIS, but for Harmon, it was too difficult. Before heading to Alaska, Harmon hugged Ducky and said, “You are a great friend. I appreciate you more than you know.”

Harmon and Torres (played by Wilmer Valderrama) also had a private moment while Torres drove him to the airport. Gibbs told Torres how he believes he is a good agent and a good man and warned him against allowing the job to consume him.

Harmon and Mcgee also finally solved the mystery behind who hired Lemere for the contract kills.

They discovered that one of Lemere’s victims, Libby Alonak, had written an expose article about the Sonova company and their plans to dig an environment-poisoning copper mine that would endanger Alaska and its people before she was killed.

Harmon and his team of McGee, Kasie, Torres, and the others also discovered that three other people who could have stopped the mine plans were killed.

Also, they discovered that the CEO of Sonova and her partner were the ones who hired Lemere and were responsible for the murders.

Agent Parker finally tracked Gibbs down and explained to McGee that Harmon was a fugitive who kidnapped a suspect and stole a government vehicle.

However, Harmon convinced Parker to allow him to finish the murder investigation before arresting him. Later, Parker changed his mind, let Harmon go, and explained that he let him go after speaking to a colleague at the FBI, Tobias Fornell.

Fans were also shown when Vance revealed to Torres and another agent that Harmon would not return to "NCIS," and when Torres asked Vance if he could convince Harmon to take his badge back. Vance explained that he had already tried and failed.

As the episode ends, Harmon finally reveals to McGee that he has no plans to return to his job or home and has chosen to stay in Alaska because he has finally experienced a sense of peace he hadn’t felt since his family died. The two finally embraced, and McGee walked away to board his plane.