A new clip has been revealed for the 1000th episode of NCIS ahead of its airing on CBS. It reveals the first footage of the return of Joe Spano reprising his role as Tobias Fornell.
It’s revealed in the clip how Fornell returns in the episode, which features a story about the NCIS agents targeted by an unknown threat. While the agents discuss how the anonymous enemy knows their history, Fornell comes in to reveal that he’s also been targeted, having had his garage blown up. Though Fornell is a former FBI agent and not officially part of the group, he figures he’s also become a target because of his association with NCIS, stating in the clip, “I’ve been saving the asses of NCIS for twenty years.” The preview can be watched below.
The official episode description reads, “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.”
This episode is the 1000th episode overall for the NCIS franchise, including the main series along with its spinoffs. It’s expected to be filled with many references to characters and events from previous episodes dating all the way back to the original season. While CBS has already revealed the return of Joe Spano as Tobias Fornell, it’s also expected that there will be some other big surprises for fans that haven’t been announced. However, it may not be likely that Mark Harmon will make an appearance as Gibbs, as the show’s producers have recently stated how they wouldn’t want such a big return to be limited to a brief cameo.
“Of course the door is always open,” executive producer and co-showrunner Steven D. Binder said told TVLine about a possible return of Harmon as Gibbs, per TVLine, when addressing his absence in the David McCallum tribute episode. “When we bring him back, we’re not going to bring him back for two minutes. It’s got to be something special.”
There’s No End in Sight to NCIS
Even with so many episodes made, there’s no end in sight for NCIS. The series was just renewed for Season 22 following the renewal of NCIS: Sydney, and there are no less than two more spinoffs in the works. Meanwhile, NCIS: Hawai’i is still on the bubble.
The 1000th NCIS episode, titled “A Thousand Yards,” will premiere on Monday, April 15, on CBS.