Adam Campbell opens up about his upcoming appearance as Ducky in NCIS: Origins, saying, ‘It carries a slightly different tone’

Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard is returning to the NCIS universe with his introduction in NCIS: Origins. Adam Campbell will be seen playing the role of the young version of the medical examiner in the third episode of the second season, titled The Edge.

In the mothership series, the character was played by David McCallum from 2003 until his death in 2023. Meanwhile, Campbell also appeared in the original show, playing the character in some flashback sequences, and is now reprising the role in the prequel.

The actor has teased his appearance as Ducky in NCIS: Origins in an interview with US Weekly. Campbell stated that the episode will have a different tone than the rest of the franchise and make some revelations about Gibbs, Lala, and Franks:

“It carries a slightly different tone to the rest of the series. This episode, particularly, there is levity there. I think it’s also quite a profound episode in terms of what we learn about Franks and Gibbs and Lala.”

Adam Campbell talks about his appearance as Ducky in NCIS: Origins Season 2

During the interview, Adam Campbell revealed that Ducky’s entry in NCIS: Origins Season 2 is going to bring out a new side of Franks, Lala, and Gibbs’ personalities that audiences have not seen before.

As per the storyline of the prequel series, Ducky works in Washington, D.C., and is sent to the agency’s office in California to check their operations and find out whether they need a dedicated medical examiner on the team.

The original series established that Gibbs first met Ducky in 1980, when the latter accidentally saved him from being kidnapped. As per the timeline of NCIS: Origins, they are meeting again 12 years after the incident. Talking about the dynamics between Ducky and Gibbs in the prequel, Campbell revealed that the two have different feelings about their reunion:

“That [initial] meeting is quite significant in his life, because it’s in that meeting that Gibbs sort of challenges him and suggests he might make a good medical examiner. I don’t think Gibbs puts the same amount of weight on that interaction. And so in this episode, there is, perhaps, in Ducky a slight disappointment that Gibbs isn’t quite as fond of the reunion as Ducky is.”

The episode is also going to pay tribute to David McCallum by delving into the origin of the character, which he played for 20 years and immortalized in the hearts of the audience. As of now, Campbell is only confirmed to appear in one episode of NCIS: Origins, but he is open to reprising the role of Ducky again in the franchise. He joked:

“Every show should have more Ducky in it. Even Game of Thrones or Euphoria. It’s essential.”

NCIS: Origins, Season 2 Episode 3, will premiere on CBS on October 28, 2025. The series is set in the 1990s and traces Gibbs’ initial days in the agency. The official logline of the upcoming episode reads:

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“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.”

NCIS: Origins Season 2 airs new episodes on CBS on Tuesdays.

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