NCIS: Origins, a prequel to the long-running CBS series NCIS, premiered on the network on October 14. The show focuses on the younger version of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who begins his tenure as a special agent in the Pendleton division of the Naval Investigative Service (NIS). David J. North, one of the showrunners behind the series, recently hinted that the prequel could also feature romance for Young Gibbs.

David J. North, who serves as showrunner alongside Gina Lucita Monreal on NCIS: Origins, offered a sneak peek at romance for Gibbs in a new interview. Austin Stowell portrays Young Gibbs in the prequel series, with Mark Harmon reprising his role as the older version of the character and the show's narrator.

“This is a human being and he's suffered a lot of loss, but romance is certainly not out of the question,” North told Deadline.

The plot of NCIS: Origins begins in 1991 and is intended to explore Gibbs' life as part of the NIS, an earlier version of NCIS, and beyond. So it makes sense that the series would explore the romantic relationships he finds himself in during this time period. After all, the original series didn't shy away from doing so. It's already been established that Gibbs has been married four times, three of which ended in divorce. His first wife, Shannon Fielding, and their daughter Kelly, were murdered by a drug dealer, and the incident played a major role in Gibbs' decision to join the NIS. The prequel also emphasizes the enormity of the tragedy and how it affected Gibbs.