NCIS: Origins backdrop
Crime•Drama

The Best Episodes of NCIS: Origins

Every episode of NCIS: Origins ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of NCIS: Origins!

Binge this in 23h 6m•Peaking at 10.0/10

In 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, 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

Airs on
CBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons2

All12

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 9 - Fools Rush In
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - Fools Rush In

    S2:E9

    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.

    Director:Diana Valentine
    Writer:Margarita Matthews

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 10 - Lean On Me
    10.0/10(3 votes)

    #2 - Lean On Me

    S2:E10

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 11 - Feelin' Alright?
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - Feelin' Alright?

    S2:E11

    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.

    Director:Hanelle M. Culpepper
    Writer:Ron McGee

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 12 - The Gambler
    10.0/10(3 votes)

    #4 - The Gambler

    S2:E12

    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.

    Director:Lionel Coleman
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 13 - Homeward Bound
    10.0/10(4 votes)

    #5 - Homeward Bound

    S2:E13

    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.

    Director:Jessica Lowrey
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 14 - The Beautiful Ballad of Gary Callahan
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #6 - The Beautiful Ballad of Gary Callahan

    S2:E14

    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.

    Director:Diana Valentine
    Writers:David J. North, Daniel J. Egbert

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of NCIS: Origins

    READ
  7. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 18 - Cecilia
    9.2/10(5 votes)

    #7 - Cecilia

    S1:E18

    When the murder of Pedro Hernandez is unearthed, Gibbs faces a reckoning. But when he needs his team most, the loyalty of one is brought into question.

    Director:Niels Arden Oplev
    Writer:Gina Lucita Monreal

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 10 - Blue Bayou
    8.9/10(7 votes)

    #8 - Blue Bayou

    S1:E10

    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.

    Director:John Terlesky
    Writers:David J. North, Gina Lucita Monreal, Brendan Fehily

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 4 - All's Not Lost
    8.3/10(7 votes)

    #9 - All's Not Lost

    S1:E4

    Still grieving the loss of his wife and daughter, Gibbs helps the team work a case involving a missing girl. The moment that irrevocably changed Gibbs' life is revealed.

    Director:Hanelle M. Culpepper
    Writers:Michael J. Ballin, Thomas Aguilar

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 11 - Flight of Icarus
    8.3/10(7 votes)

    #10 - Flight of Icarus

    S1:E11

    The team investigates the death of a famed Marine commander's son, while a pivotal part of Franks' past involving his family is revealed.

    Director:Ruben Garcia
    Writers:Gina Lucita Monreal, Jennifer Corbett

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 9 - Vivo o Muerto
    8.2/10(5 votes)

    #11 - Vivo o Muerto

    S1:E9

    The case of a missing woman who disappeared after a night of clubbing with a Navy seaman takes the team to Mexico, where they learn of a possible connection to Gibbs' past.

    Director:Loren Yaconelli
    Writers:Gina Lucita Monreal, Michael J. Ballin, Thomas Aguilar, Rafael Samano

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 2 - Enter Sandman (2)
    8.0/10(9 votes)

    #12 - Enter Sandman (2)

    S1:E2

    Gibbs and the gritty ragtag team continue their investigation at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office.

    Director:Niels Arden Oplev
    Writers:David J. North, Gina Lucita Monreal

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 8 - Sick as Our Secrets
    8.0/10(5 votes)

    #13 - Sick as Our Secrets

    S1:E8

    Gibbs and the team investigate the case of a Navy priest who was killed in the confessional booth and may have been targeted by mistake. Meanwhile, Randy shows Gibbs the ropes of working a protective detail while struggling with a personal situation.

    Director:Edward Ornelas
    Writers:Stephen Day, Daniel J. Egbert

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 17 - Darlin', Don't Refrain
    8.0/10(6 votes)

    #14 - Darlin', Don't Refrain

    S1:E17

    After the shocking developments in the Sandman case, the team works with the FBI to investigate further; while Wheeler struggles to hold onto his job, his family reaches a crisis point.

    Director:Pamela Romanowsky
    Writers:David J. North, Gina Lucita Monreal, Brendan Fehily

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 3 - Bend, Don't Break
    7.9/10(7 votes)

    #15 - Bend, Don't Break

    S1:E3

    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. Jackson Gibbs pays Franks an unexpected visit.

    Director:John Terlesky
    Writer:Jon Worley

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 14 - To Have and to Hold
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    #16 - To Have and to Hold

    S1:E14

    The team works the case of an investment advisor found dead shortly after her release from prison. Also, Mary Jo is left reeling by an unexpected development in her personal life.

    Director:Diana Valentine
    Writer:Shalisha Francis

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 16 - Bugs
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    #17 - Bugs

    S1:E16

    Vera receives an unexpected call from Bugs, who claims he's ready to answer more questions from prison after being identified as the sniper known as Sandman.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 15 - From the Ashes
    7.7/10(6 votes)

    #18 - From the Ashes

    S1:E15

    The team investigates the brutal murder of a military sergeant found burned in her car, a case Franks suspects could have a connection to the assault of his estranged wife.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 3 - The Edge
    7.7/10(5 votes)

    #19 - The Edge

    S2:E3

    Young Ducky is sent to Camp Pendleton to shadow the team while they work a case and, in the process, he reconnects with Gibbs after the two crossed paths years earlier.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 6 - Incognito
    7.6/10(5 votes)

    #20 - Incognito

    S1:E6

    Gibbs goes undercover 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. Also, Lala struggles with her place on the team and an unexpected development in her personal life.

    Director:Pete Chatmon
    Writer:Shalisha Francis

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 7 - One Flew Over
    7.6/10(5 votes)

    #21 - One Flew Over

    S1:E7

    NIS investigates the murder of a dementia-afflicted Jane Doe. Also, flashbacks reveal the first time Gibbs met Franks

    Director:Jessica Lowrey
    Writers:Gina Lucita Monreal, Margarita Matthews, Rafael Samano

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 12 - Touchstones
    7.4/10(8 votes)

    #22 - Touchstones

    S1:E12

    When the evidence room is broken into and significant cash goes missing, the team looks into a connection to a recent case. Also, Lala opens up to Gibbs, and Kowalski struggles to move forward.

    Director:Anya Adams
    Writers:David J. North, Gina Lucita Monreal, Brendan Fehily

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 13 - Monsoon
    7.4/10(7 votes)

    #23 - Monsoon

    S1:E13

    The team investigates the brutal murder of a veteran who fell on hard times after serving in Vietnam, leading Franks to reflect on his own struggles following the war. Also, Gibbs considers a new path forward.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 5 - Last Rites
    7.3/10(6 votes)

    #24 - Last Rites

    S1:E5

    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.

    Director:Lionel Coleman
    Writer:Margarita Matthews

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 4 - No Man Left Behind
    7.2/10(4 votes)

    #25 - No Man Left Behind

    S2:E4

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"Fools Rush In" is the best rated episode of "NCIS: Origins". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Diana Valentine and written by Margarita Matthews, it aired on 3/3/2026. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Lean On Me".