“Origins” steps one Foote into the light side

Rippling through “NCIS: Origins” are all the usual elements – murder, arson, treason and generally impolite behavior.
But there’s one thing more: “There’s so much humor in the show,” David North, one of the two showrunners, told the Television Critics Association.
Well … not “Big Bang” or Three Stooges humor, but neat niches of levity from Caleb Foote (shown here) and others. Viewers can sample that as “Origins” reruns the start of its season.
So far, 10 episodes have aired. Before the second half of the “Origins” season starts (Jan. 27), all will have had a second run.
Two reran early. Now come the others – one on Monday, Dec. 30; three on Wednesday, Jan. 1; one Monday, Jan. 6; the other three on Sunday, Jan. 12.
Add them up and viewers should find at least a few smidgens of humor.
Some of that involves casting Bobby Moynihan (“Saturday Night Live”) as the forensic analyst. “’Hysterical’ is an understatement,” North said.
Some comes from the rest of the cast. Gina Lucita Monreal, a showrunner, points to Caleb Foote: His character, “Randy” Randolph, “is like the comic relief, but the real heart of the office.”
And some comes from the era. It’s 1991, when this was just the NIS (Naval Investigative Service). Mike Franks, the team leader, let Randolph set up the computer and read the manual, but was reluctant to let anyone use it.
“There are a lot of ‘90s gadgets in there, for sure,” North said. “We have our props team constantly hunting on EBay.”
And most of them are distrusted by Franks … which Kyle Schmid (who plays him) finds logical.
“I do share a similar disdain for modern technology,” Schmid said. “Luckily, my wife is very good at that stuff. At least once a day, I’ll hand her my phone, very frustrated, and say, ‘Fix this.’”
Most characters – including Franks and Leroy Jethro Gibbs – lean toward the strong-and-silent mode. Randolph may be strong (he has bulging biceps), but not silent.
“There was a character I pictured,” North said. “Then Caleb came in and I thought, ‘That’s the guy; this is crazy.’”
Foote grew up in Ypsilanti, Mich., and went to school nearby, at the University of Michigan. But he spent key years (ages 7-14) with his family at Montserrat, a Caribbean island (now with 4,400 people) that was recovering from fierce volcanoes.
After graduating from college, majoring in acting, in 2016, he drew raves and an award in the play “Hand to God,” in San Diego. Then came some logical casting: Foote – with bright red hair and bright manner – played the second of seven Irish-American sons in ABC’s “The Kids Are Alright.”
That lasted one season; HBO’s “Made For Love” (with Foote in support) lasted two. Now he has a show that could stick around.
“It’s so easy to explain the show that I’m on,” Foote said. “I’m not on ‘Phantom Ship’; this doesn’t exist in an alternate reality.
“It doesn’t require this huge explanation. I just say, ‘Oh, I’m on “NCIS: Origins”’ and immediately, you know what that is.”
And he’s easy to spot. He’s the enthusiastic redhead, surrounded by strong-silent types who overcome bad guys and struggle with 1990s technology.