30 Years Before Gibbs, Mark Harmon Played an Animal Control Officer in Failed ‘Emergency!’ Spinoff
What To Know
- Before his iconic role as Gibbs on NCIS, Mark Harmon nearly starred in a failed 1975 Emergency! spinoff pilot.
- Although the spinoff was not picked up, Harmon continued to build his career with notable roles throughout the 1980s and beyond, eventually achieving major success on NCIS.
Actor Mark Harmon has had one of the most prolific careers in Hollywood, remaining a familiar face on both the big and small screens for the past four decades. He dominated the 1980s after his breakout role as Dr. Robert Caldwell on NBC’s St. Elsewhere and his beloved turn as Freddy Shoop in the classic comedy Summer School.
In the 1990s, roles on Reasonable Doubts and Chicago Hope kept him in the public eye, while his appearances on The West Wing and his charming turn in 2003’s Freaky Friday continued his momentum in the early ’00s. But it was his long-running role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS that brought him the most widespread recognition, transforming him into a television icon and anchoring one of the most successful franchises in network history.
But over 50 years ago, back in the Me Decade, a baby-faced Harmon almost starred in his own show as he was cast as the lead for a potential spinoff from the hit show Emergency!, years before NCIS entered the picture.
Emergency! debuted in 1972 and was developed by a creative team that included actor/producer Jack Webb, best known for his work playing Sgt. Joe Friday on TV’s Dragnet. It ran for six seasons and had several specials.
In what was intended as a backdoor pilot, Harmon was featured as Officer Dave Gordon in a 1975 episode titled “Wild,” which was meant to launch a new TV series of the same name about L.A. County animal control. The episode followed Harmon and his team as they dealt with escaped and mistreated animals, including a baby goat in desperate need of medical attention.
The episode was directed by Webb and featured blaxploitation star Albert Popwell as his partner, Officer Les Taylor. It also included a cameo by Harmon’s father, Tom Harmon, who played a newscaster.
It was not Harmon’s debut, since he had previously appeared in the short-lived spinoff Ozzie’s Girls, about Ozzie and Harriet Nelson renting out a room to two young women, but given the popularity of Emergency!, his work on the drama gave his burgeoning career a boost.
NBC / Courtesy: Everett Collection
The pilot apparently did not work for the network and was never picked up. But Harmon continued to work steadily, landing guest roles on Adam-12 (also produced by Webb), Laverne & Shirley, and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries before earning a starring role on Flamingo Road as Fielding Carlyle. That put him front and center in primetime and paved the way for him to later slip on the stethoscope of Dr. Robert Caldwell.
Emergency! is available for streaming for free on The Roku Channel, or with a subscription to Peacock or Philo.
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