‘NCIS: Origins’ Sets Kyle Schmid To Play Mike Franks In CBS Prequel Series

Nellie Andreeva
·2 min read

CBS’ NCIS: Origins has found its young Mike Franks. Kyle Schmid has been cast as a lead opposite Austin Stowell and Mariel Molino in the CBS Studios-produced Young Gibbs drama, a prequel to the venerable procedural, which has a straight-to-series order for the 2024-2025 broadcast season.

Executive produced and narrated by Mark Harmon, Origins begins in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and chronicles Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ younger years. In the prequel, Gibbs (Stowell) starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Schmid).

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Schmid’s Special Agent Mike Franks is a proud Texan who all but showers in his cowboy boots and sports a perfectly coiffed mustache that’s as thick as his skin. As showcased on NCIS, Franks is a born leader with an unwavering moral compass who’s determined to find justice by any means necessary.

On the mothership series, Franks has been a recurring character played by Muse Watson. Franks was fatally stabbed in Season 8 but continued to appear to Gibbs when he needed a sounding board on hard cases.

(L-R): Mark Harmon and Muse Watson in Episode 200 of ‘NCIS’
(L-R): Mark Harmon and Muse Watson in Episode 200 of ‘NCIS’

Molino plays Special Agent Lala Dominguez, a new character to the NCIS universe. Mark Harmon and his son Sean Harmon executive produce alongside David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal who are co-writing the premiere episode and serving as co-showrunners.

Schmid is best known for his roles on History’s Six, BBC America’s Copper, Syfy’s Being Human, Netflix’s The I-Land and ABC’s Big Sky. He recently guest starred on ABC’s The Rookie. Schmid is repped by Mainstay Entertainment.

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