NCIS is celebrating a milestone that not many television shows can brag about!
On April 15, the hit CBS franchise will air its 1000th episode after more than two decades on air and spawning four spinoffs set in Hawaii, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Sydney. The mothership show aired its first episode in September 2003 and has racked up more than 450 episodes alone, while Los Angeles and New Orleans have contributed 320 and 150, respectively, to the overall total.
In honor of the momentous occasion -- comprised of more than 4.2 trillion minutes of NCIS action -- ET is airing a special looking back at the show over the years and unveiling never-before-seen interviews and clips with stars like Mark Harmon, Vanessa Lachey, Michael Weatherly, Scott Bakula and more.
'NCIS' cast on set
The franchise follow the lives and cases of agents with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and has kept fans around for years thanks to its heart-stopping storylines, incredible guest stars -- including pre-fame Zac Efron and Millie Bobby Brown -- and tender moments between characters.
On top of a retrospective element, ET's NCISVerse: The First 1000 hosted by Kevin Frazier will look ahead at the two new shows coming to the franchise, NCIS: Origins and an unnamed series starring fan-favorites Cote de Pablo and Weatherly. The former will be an origin story for Harmon's character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, while the latter series will see de Pablo and Weatherly reprise their roles as Ziva David and Tony DiNozzo.
ET first reported on de Pablo and Weatherly returning to the franchise in February when Paramount and CBS revealed the official description for the 10-episode first season, slated to film in Europe this year.
"After Ziva’s supposed death, Tony left the NCIS team to go raise their daughter. Years later, Ziva was discovered alive, leading her to complete one final mission with NCIS before she was reunited with Tony and their daughter in Paris," the description reads. "Since then – and where we find them in the new Paramount+ original series – Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter, Tali, together. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, try to figure out who is after them and maybe even learn to trust each other again so that they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after."
Ziva and Tony in 'NCIS'
In December, ET spoke with NCIS: Sydney star Olivia Swann, a newcomer to the series, who said that when it comes to joining such an iconic franchise, she couldn't feel more humbled or grateful by the opportunity.
"It's such an honor being part of a franchise like this," she said. "It kind of hasn't been until now that we're realizing the magnitude of it, which is mind-blowing. We just have the best time and we're just so grateful to be a part of this this world and this universe."
Similarly, Wilmer Valderrama -- who joined NCIS in its 14th season as Special Agent Nicholas Torres -- told ET in January that while the show's 21st season was shortened to 10 episodes -- primarily due to the 2023 WGA strike -- the fans were in for a treat from start to finish.
"We're gonna try to make sure that every time an episode ends, you know, something in that episode is gonna carry over and we're gonna try because I think it's time for producers to evolve and the future of content and how it's being consumed. I think CBS does it better, they know their audience super well. So, I'm really proud of what we're doing," he shared.
ET's special, NCISVerse: The First 1,000, airs Monday, April 8, at 9 p.m. ET. The episode will also feature an exclusive first look at the 100th episode of NCIS, which will air on Monday, April 15, at 9 p.m. ET.
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