Yes, at least two of the rumors about "NCIS" Season 19 appear to be true In other words, Gibbs fans have reason to be disappointed, as a new report provides fairly strong confirmation that Mark Harmon's character will be pretty much absent from the upcoming season of the long-running CBS drama

TVLine's Michael Ausiello, a reliable reporter, reports that multiple sources say that "Harmon will appear in a relatively small number of episodes next season" According to individual sources, the number of episodes should be in the "low single digits," and Gibbs will only appear "a few times" this season So how does NCIS plan to make up for it?

Deadline reports that Gary Gaul ("Veep," "The Good Fight," "Office Space") has been cast Cole will play FBI Special Agent Alden Park, with no further details about the character

While there has been no official word on Harmon's reduced appearance, Deadline speaks as if the change is certain, noting that "Cole is expected to help fill the void left by Harmon's reduced on-screen presence next season" [Cole is not the only new regular cast member on the series Katrina Lowe, who plays Special Agent Jessica Knight, will become a series regular Knight was introduced to "NCIS" in the last two episodes of "NCIS" Season 18, and the character specializes in hostage negotiations

For those who don't remember, Leroy Jethro Gibbs was last on the trail of a serial killer Then, in the NCIS Season 18 finale, someone blew up the boat Gibbs was on and tried to kill him

As a result, Gibbs floated lifelessly on the water before quickly escaping without anyone noticing That ending gave fans reason to believe that NCIS was ready for Harmon to leave the series

The explosion and Gibbs' stealthy withdrawal gave him the chance to spend this next season in hiding and make the serial killer think he was really dead However, only time would tell if it was the killer who blew up the boat or if Gibbs had deliberately faked his own death in order to gain cover

Either way, NCIS has created a reason for Gibbs to appear less often in the upcoming season One wonders how much Gibbs' team knows about his current situation and whether they will start mourning him next season