Miss them? NCIS: Origins season 3 welcomes back a longtime franchise favorite

Here we go again with NCIS: Origins reminding us just how obsessed this franchise is with its own past. Yes, they're dusting off one of the most reliable fan favourites for the new season—because apparently, you can never have too much Ducky.

Adam Campbell returns as the young Dr. Mallard for NCIS: Origins Season 3—his third outing as the character in this particular prequel timeline.

Who's Back, and Why

Adam Campbell is officially putting the bow tie back on, reprising his turn as the younger Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard. You might remember, the late David McCallum played this role for two decades across the main NCIS series (since 2003, in fact), until his death in 2023. Campbell’s a familiar face to the newer crowd—he popped up as young Ducky in one of those heavily sepia-toned flashbacks on the main show, and in two episodes of NCIS: Origins last series. The news is now confirmed by showrunner David J. North, after Mariel Molino (Lala Dominguez on the show) sneakily outed Campbell’s presence via Insta story from the set.

This time, it won’t just be a random cameo or a stuffy medical examiner moment. North hinted at a fresh angle, teasing that Ducky will collide with a case 'in a way that he hasn’t in his previous two episodes'—more of a pop-up surprise than a by-the-books entry. If you’re the sort who’s still emotionally invested in young Ducky bonding with Austin Stowell’s aspiring Gibbs, this could fill your cup.

Ducky’s Many Lives

For those keeping score, Campbell’s past appearances weren’t exactly filler. His first turn, in the episode called 'The Edge', set him up as the medical examiner considering whether NCIS actually needed someone to handle all the corpses in-house (spoiler: yes, they do). Later, he returned to lend a hand to Dr. Tango, not to be confused with any ridiculous dance scenes, as the San Diego county medical examiner.

• Adam Campbell’s Ducky now returns in Season 3, marking his third episode for Origins
• The late David McCallum originated Ducky on NCIS from 2003 until 2023
• Campbell also showed up in NCIS Season 23, 'All Good Things', playing Ducky in the afterlife (yes, really), disguised as a bland investigator until the reveal
• Mark Harmon will also be back as the older Gibbs for every episode this season

This should be a bit of a reunion then, with the series still kneeling before its well-worn timeline and endless character crossovers. It’s all distinctly 1990s—but never mind, the old patterns draw a crowd.

NCIS: Origins Series 3 kicks off 6 October, 10pm ET on CBS.