NCIS season 13: Producer teases tension between Tony and Gibbs, and changes in Mark Harmon's character

NCIS season 13 will bring a lot of changes, beginning with Mark Harmon's character who was shot by Luke in season 12 finale. With Leroy Jethro Gibbs life hanging in the balance in the premiere episode, everyone on the NCIS team will be jarred in a major way.

Showrunner Gary Glasberg told TV Fanatic about the changes Gibbs would undergo and also hinted at some tension brewing between him and Tony DiNozzo.

Speaking about the season 12 finale, Glasberg explained, "We ended with a scenario where he was getting shot and really injured. We pick up right where we left off and dealing with an injury like that is significant for anyone. And recovering from it and rehabilitating from it and there's psychological trauma and physical trauma that goes along with that."

The executive producer specifically stated that viewers would get to see a changed and emotional Gibbs in season 13. This could be an interesting twist to the plot, as compared to the otherwise tough special agent that we have seen on screen.

Glasberg further said, "That's what we're going to see as the season progresses is you're going to see a change in Gibbs. You're going to see a physical change and an emotional change and Mark Harmon is really diving into that and making it unique."

"It's been exciting to watch and we've got some really emotional stuff coming up from him," he added.

In the absence of Gibbs, DiNozzo may have to step up as leader, which would create some tension between the two agents.

"That's one of the big character arcs that we're going to get into this season. Gibbs and Tony are really going to feel some tension between the two of them, " the producer teased.

Gibbs will be seen putting tremendous pressure on DiNozzo, after his near-death experience, and would want to know what DiNozzo is interested in.

"Does he want to be the leader? Does he want to be, in essence, to become Gibbs? And that's a lot to take on and some big decisions for Tony DiNozzo and at the end of the day, Tony has to really step back and evaluate and think about what he wants from his life and his career", Glasberg explained.

NCIS season 13 premieres on 22 September on CBS.