Mark Harmon’s Favorite NCIS Episode Became a Modern Classic in Under 5 Years

For nearly 20 years, Mark Harmon spearheaded NCIS and helped the series become one of the longest-running procedurals in TV history. After his departure in 2021, fans were concerned about the show’s future. Harmon helped put some of those worries to bed after giving a specific holiday episode of NCIS his personal stamp of approval. The legend approached actor and co-writer Diona Reasonover with some kind words.

Reasonover states that Harmon approached her personally about the Thanksgiving-themed episode and professed his love for the script. In less than 5 years since its release, the Season 20 episode “Turkey Trot” has cemented its status as a modern classic. This is no small feat for a series that has been on the air for over two decades. More importantly, the quality of the episodes proved to fans that NCIS could still be successful post-Gibbs.

NCIS’s Turkey Trot Episode Proves the Series Can Still Deliver

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It’s not uncommon for an extremely long-running series to experience turnover in its main cast. NCIS has seen the departure of Ziva David and countless others. It’s a different story, however, when the series leads and the heartbeat leaves. When Mark Harmon stepped away from the role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, there were real questions about whether NCIS could keep the same identity that had carried it for nearly 20 seasons.

While the cast had evolved over the years, Gibbs was one of the constants that kept everything tied together. When Mark Harmon stepped away from NCIS, the pressure on the showrunners and remaining cast was ramped up to levels it had never been before. For fans and the cast themselves, there was much to prove. The show began to put those doubts to rest with the holiday episode “Turkey Trot.”

“Turkey Trot” is more than the standard holiday entry, simply using Thanksgiving as a backdrop for another weekly case. The idea isn’t necessarily new, as NCIS has featured Christmas and other celebrations to fuel special investigations, but it stands out as memorable for using the theme to delve into the family dynamics of some of the series’ most prominent characters.

NCIS is at its best when blending the profession with its characters’ personal lives. Typically, NCIS follows a formula that focuses on the crime aspect first. “Turkey Trot” starts off with an explosion at a Thanksgiving race, but even in the face of the investigation, the personal plans and relationships of its characters take center stage. That is perhaps why Mark Harmon was such a fan of how the script balanced itself.

Katrina Law’s Jessica Knight and her relationship with her sister are the catalysts for both the crime and the episode’s personal aspects. The Thanksgiving setting allows the writers to pull Knight away from her work just enough to explore the complicated dynamic with her sister. Their sibling rivalry lies at the center of the crime at the beginning of the episode, forcing Knight to navigate both sides of her life.This Episode of NCIS Uses Crime and Conflict to Build Relationships

NCIS is one of the longest-running series and continues to dominate on streaming because it can balance interesting cases and make the audience care about the investigators themselves. “Turkey Trot” is a perfect example of NCIS pulling off that balancing act. The bombing plot is a clever device used to strip away the usual approach and force a look at family connections.

Once it’s revealed that Knight was the intended target and the explosion was an accidental byproduct of a failed assassination attempt on her, the episode takes on a different feel. It begins to show how the people close to Knight, specifically her sister, have influenced and affected her career.

The central mystery is tied directly to the emotional core of the episode, and it’s why “Turkey Trot” stands out in modern NCIS.