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NCIS is gearing up for a major milestone. The 1,000th episode of the CBS franchise will air on Monday, April 15. “A Thousand Yards” will feature an important moment for Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) and his son. Plus, fans can look forward to special appearances from two familiar faces from other NCIS shows. 

What to expect from the milestone ‘NCIS’ episode 

Man standing with flowers in front of a headstone in 'NCIS' Season 21 Episode 7
(L-R): Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance in the ‘NCIS’ episode ‘A Thousand Yars’ | Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In “A Thousand Yards,” NCIS comes under attack by a mysterious enemy from the past. Also, Vance tries to mend fences with his estranged son by explaining why, despite the ongoing dangers of his job, he still chooses to stay at NCIS.

In a conversation with TVLine, NCIS showrunner David North teased that the milestone episode will bring plenty of drama, as well as some tie-ins with the other NCIS shows. 

“One of our own beloved characters is going to end up in grave danger, and you’re going to see all of the different franchises brought into this in a little bit of a different way,” he said. 

Daniela Ruah and Vanessa Lachey will appear in the  ‘NCIS’ franchise’s 1,000th episode

NCIS cast at the franchise's 1,000th episode party
(L-R): Gary Cole, Katrina Law, Rocky Carroll, Sean Murray, Brian Dietzen, Wilmer Valderrama, Diona Reasonover, and Chris O’Donnell at the 1,000th Franchise Celebration for NCIS on Tuesday, February 20th, 2024. | Robert Voets/CBS via Getty Images
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The franchise’s milestone 1,000th episode will also feature a couple of special guests. Daniela Ruah, who played Special Agent Kensi Blye-Deeks on the now-canceled NCIS: Los Angeles will make an appearance. So will Vanessa Lachey, who portrays Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant on NCIS: Hawai’i. 

Showrunner Steven D. Pinder has also hinted that the episode will include some “Easter eggs” for fans.

“We’re going to play plenty of homage to the past,” North said.

Sean Murray, who has been with NCIS since the show premiered in 2003, also promised that there will be plenty of callbacks that loyal fans will appreciate. 

“My favorite thing of what we’ve done in the 1,000th episode is we have got little Easter eggs and things hidden all through the episode – and not even just hidden. We call back to a lot of things, but it’s a little hard to describe,” he told TV Insider. “It’s a great show for the people that are just tuning in for the first time or new fans. For the people that have been with us for a long time, it’s really something special because you’re going to see, like I said, Easter eggs of things. You’re going to see things that tip-off to old episodes, famous episodes that we did. Little moments. We have characters come back that we haven’t seen in a very long time.”

NCIS airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Episodes stream streaming live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand the next day for Paramount+ Essential subscribers.

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