‘NCIS’ Actor Teases ‘Special’ Episode With Ducky

Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard will make at least one more appearance on NCIS before Season 19 wraps. Brian Dietzen, who plays NCIS Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer, shared a photo from the NCIS set with actor David MacCallum. The legendary Man From U.N.C.L.E. star is credited as a main cast member but has only appeared in a handful of episodes in recent years.

“You guys! We’ve got some great stuff coming at you over the final [NCIS] episodes this season,” Dietzen shared on Instagram. “Really looking forward to this one in particular. This one was special.” MacCallum and Dietzen were joined by Katrina Law as Jessica Knight in the NCIS morgue in the photo.

The picture succeeded in getting NCIS fans excited for the rest of Season 19. “Woohoo! This is going to be great,” one fan wrote. “Any episode with Ducky in it is special,” another chimed in. “I have loved David McCallum since The Man From U.N.C.L.E. days! Ducky is awesome,” a longtime MacCallum fan commented.

MacCallum, 88, gained fame as Illya Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and is one of the last surviving members of The Great Escape cast. The Scottish actor earned two Emmy nods for The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and a third for the 1969 TV movie Teacher, Teacher. In April 2016, he told fans on Facebook he signed on for a “limited schedule” in NCIS Season 16. He is credited as a main star on NCIS, but the only Season 19 episode he has appeared in so far is “Face the Strange,” which aired in October.

NCIS was renewed for a historic 20th season last week. The show is now tied with Gunsmoke as the third-longest-running American primetime drama series, behind Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the original Law & Order. Season 20 will also be the first full year without Mark Harmon, who left four episodes into Season 19. NICS: Los Angeles was renewed for a 14th season, while NCIS: Hawai’i earned a second.

“NCIS, one of the most popular and enduring series in the world, and fan-favorite NCIS: Los Angeles have been hugely successful on the CBS schedule for years,” CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl said on March 31. “With the strong new addition of NCIS: Hawai’i, we are able to expand the strength of this formidable franchise across our schedule. We couldn’t be more excited to have all three talented casts and creative teams back to bring more compelling NCIS stories to viewers in the U.S. and around the globe.”

NCIS and its spin-offs are available to stream on Paramount+. NCIS: New Orleans, which was canceled last season, is also on the streaming platform. JAG, the show that birthed the NCIS franchise, is on Paramount+.