‘NCIS’ Sets Star-Studded Crossover Event for 1,000th Episode

Daniela Ruah and Vanessa Lachey are set to appear in the upcoming milestone episode on ‘NCIS’ in April.

March 14, 2024, 9:07pm

"Unearth" – When a dead body is found at an ancient burial site that is thought to be cursed, the team tries to determine the motive and the symbolism behind the crime. Also, as Torres continues therapy with Dr. Grace, he discovers that their lives are in danger, on the CBS Original Series NCIS, Monday, Oct 3 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*. Pictured: Gary Cole as FBI Special Agent Alden Parker, Katrina Law as NCIS Special Agent Jessica Knight, Wilmer Valderrama as Special Agent Nicholas "Nick" Torres, and Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

NCIS is pulling out all the stops for its upcoming massive milestone. The long-running procedural franchise is closing in on 1,000 episodes, and TVLine reports that there will be a crossover of sorts in the big episode. Taking place in the April 15 episode of NCIS, Daniela Ruah from NCIS: Los Angeles and Vanessa Lachey from NCIS: Hawai’i will be appearing in the milestone hour, reprising their roles as Kensi Blye and Jane Tennant, respectively.

Even though Ruah and Lachey will be appearing in the episode, they will not be appearing “in person” alongside the D.C. team. However, their appearances “will nonetheless be quite fun.” How they will be brought into the fold is unknown. This will mark Ruah’s first on-screen appearance in the franchise since NCIS: LA last year. She did return off-screen, directing an episode of .

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In regards to what the episode will center on, co-showrunner David North previously told TVLine, “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.” Co-showrunner Steven D. Binder added, “There’ll be a personal storyline, and this one will circle around Director Vance.”

The duo promised that they will “pay plenty of homage to the past” with “some Easter eggs for longtime fans of the show.” It will surely be interesting to see what happens in the episode, and just what kind of storyline Rocky Carroll’s Director Vance will be involved in. It does seem like much of the episode is being kept under wraps in terms of what exactly will be happening, but with it being such a big milestone, that’s not so surprising.

Following the end of NCIS: LA, Daniela Ruah expressed interest in returning to the franchise on-screen as Kensi Blye, saying that if she ever got “asked” and if “it makes sense, why not?” Ruah’s co-star LL Cool J has been appearing on in a recurring guest capacity, but it’s still not completely clear what Sam Hanna is doing on the island. Whether there will be any updates between Jane and Kensi about Sam is unknown, as well as Kensi’s pregnancy or even the baby, if she has already given birth.

Fans will just have to tune in on Monday, Apr. 15 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS to see what happens in the 1,000th episode of the NCIS franchise. Between NCIS, NCIS: LA, NCIS: NOLA, NCIS: Hawai’i, and NCIS: Sydney, it is certainly a lot of episodes and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.