Mark Harmon's Best NCIS Episodes Ranked By Action Level

Popular CBS drama "NCIS" follows a team of highly trained Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents who solve Marine Corps and Navy-centric crimes. The series began as a spin-off of the smash-hit "JAG," and has been on the air since 2003. That's not just an impressive run for the show, either — it's an impressive run for actor Mark Harmon, who leads the NCIS as Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Agent Gibbs starts his career as a Marine and eventually pursues a position in military law enforcement. He is a resourceful agent, a fearless team player, and a talented sharpshooter. Even more impressive is Gibbs' intuition, which he frequently uses to predict criminals' next moves and apprehend them quickly. 

As the leader of the NCIS team, Gibbs frequently finds himself at the center of the action. He works to crack cases and catch criminals by any means necessary, even if he has to put his life at risk. No matter how complex their current case may be, the other NCIS agents can always count on Gibbs to hold his own and save the day. Gibbs' most pause-worthy scenes fully demonstrate his impressive crime-fighting skills and are at the center of some of the most memorable episodes of the long-running series. Season after season, fans thoroughly enjoy watching the wise, no-nonsense agent achieve justice for his fellow military personnel. In celebration of his success, we're ranking Mark Harmon's best "NCIS" episodes by action level.

From the very beginning of the series, Agent Gibbs establishes himself as a take-charge leader who isn't afraid to jump into conflict when needed. In the Season 1 episode "One Shot, One Kill," Gibbs goes undercover to stop a sniper who targets Marine recruitment officers. When local police officers find Gunnery Sergeant Freddy Alvarez (Francesco Quinn) dead, they initially believe his murder is gang-related. However, ballistics proves that Alvarez's killer is most likely a skilled sniper. The NCIS team is surprised by this development and knows they must act quickly to identify the killer. Unfortunately, the sniper claims another victim while the team is busy chasing down leads.

Fearing for the safety of other recruitment officers, Gibbs decides to take matters into his own hands. He poses as Gunnery Sergeant Thomas at a press conference announcing the reopening of the recruitment office. Unsurprisingly, the press conference lures the sniper, Kyle Hendricks (Noah Segan), out of hiding. Unfortunately, Gibbs realizes too late that Hendricks posed as a water delivery person to gain access to the recruitment office. The episode cuts to Hendricks taking aim and firing at the building. However, the sniper didn't count on an essential upgrade: bullet-resistant glass windows. Thanks to Gibbs' willingness to put his life at risk, the NCIS team apprehends Hendricks and puts an end to his short-lived crime spree.

Some "NCIS" episodes are packed with non-stop action, while others are defined by a single moment. The NCIS team combats terrorism several times throughout the series, but Season 12's "Neverland" features a particularly harrowing encounter for Agent Gibbs. In this episode, a terrorist organization known as the Calling targets members of NCIS after they capture former member Luke Harris (Daniel Zolghadri). Harris is a young Iraqi boy who lands in NCIS custody while they investigate the Calling in a previous episode. Unfortunately, the terrorist group kills Harris' parents in retaliation for his decision to cooperate with Gibbs and his team. Therefore, when Harris reunites with the Calling in "Neverland," Gibbs is concerned that the young boy will turn against NCIS.

This season finale is intense from start to finish, and Gibbs' most significant action scene within it is one of the series' most memorable and shocking moments. After NCIS tracks the Calling's leader, Daniel Budd (Giles Matthey), to Iraq, the agents prepare for a final showdown. Unfortunately, Budd uses a young girl as a diversion, and the girl leads Gibbs right into a trap. In the end, Budd isn't on the scene, and Gibbs finds himself face-to-face with an angry Luke Harris. Before the agent can say a word, Harris shoots him twice. The episode ends with a cliffhanger: Audiences don't know if Gibbs will survive this surprising attack until they watch the Season 13 premiere.

The "NCIS" Season 15 premiere, "House Divided," continues an action-packed storyline from the previous season. Gibbs and McGee are prisoners of the Revolutionary Armed Council in Paraguay. The duo is filthy, starving, and desperate to find a way home. Audiences learn that they've been in captivity for a few months and are slowly working on an escape plan. Naturally, the conditions of their prison are appalling and their captors subject them to torture. Gibbs even endures waterboarding after he refuses to give them information about NCIS. Despite this treatment, Gibbs remains steadfast in his plans to escape.

Later in the episode, Gibbs and McGee stage a fight in their cell. The ever-resourceful agents manage to steal a knife from a guard who tries to break up the scuffle. Gibbs makes short work of their captors in impressively ruthless fashion, saving his torturer for last. However, this is just the beginning of their daring journey to freedom. McGee uses the RAC leader's phone to call NCIS and miraculously gets through. As help races to their location, Gibbs and McGee have to fight their way out of the underground encampment with the RAC leader as a hostage. The two agents survive their escape attempt and return to the U.S. to reunite with their team.

The NCIS team faces its fair share of harrowing situations. The Season 10 episode "Extreme Prejudice," which reveals the aftermath of an explosion at their headquarters, is a great example. The explosion occurs in the Season 9 finale, and "Extreme Prejudice" begins with Gibbs searching for survivors among his team. Luckily, the most prominent characters survive the blast and band together to catch Harper Dearing (Richard Schiff), the dangerous criminal behind the attack. Dearing's son died in a Naval vessel explosion, and the bereaved father intends to take his revenge by blowing up other ships. Since he succeeds at his aim in Season 9, Gibbs and his team know they must work quickly to prevent any further bombings.

NCIS and the FBI work tirelessly to track Dearing, who stays one step ahead of law enforcement for most of the episode. However, Gibbs is undeterred by Dearing's cat-and-mouse game. He relentlessly pursues the criminal, finally locating him at the former Dearing family home. Dearing has a gun, but Gibbs uses his hand-to-hand combat skills to defeat his opponent. The fight is short-lived, but this high-stakes scene reminds audiences how well Gibbs uses his military training. Gibbs frequently carries a concealed knife with him, and this trusty weapon comes in handy when disabling the father-turned-bomber. In the end, Gibbs kills Dearing and ends his string of crimes against the Navy. 

Hostage situations are an unfortunate reality in law enforcement, but Gibbs faces a particularly harrowing one in Season 1's "Bete Noire." This episode marks the first appearance of Ari Haswari, who serves as the primary antagonist for much of Season 2. When Haswari invades the NCIS morgue, he takes Ducky and his assistant, Gerald Jackson (Pancho Demmings), hostage. Unfortunately, he also captures Agent Todd after luring her down to the morgue with his other two hostages. Naturally, Gibbs becomes suspicious. His fear that something has gone wrong is confirmed when the team discovers that Haswari has disabled the morgue's security cameras.

Aware that he has a hostage situation unfolding in his headquarters, Gibbs contacts the FBI for backup. As if the stakes weren't already high enough, Haswari shoots Jackson in the shoulder after learning that Ducky has tried to trick him. Eventually, Gibbs makes his way to the morgue and confronts Haswari. Both men aim their weapons at each other and shoot. Gibbs hits Haswari in the chest and thinks he's neutralized him, but Haswari is one step ahead of the NCIS. When the Hostage Rescue Team uses flash grenades to bring the situation under control, Haswari uses the confusion to his advantage and escapes. Gibbs saves his teammates from being killed by Haswari, but the encounter begins a long rivalry between the two men.