NCIS Season 21 Announces Return Of Two Franchise Veterans For 1000th Episode

The details for the 1,000th episode of the "NCIS" franchise, which airs on Monday, April 15, have been slowly trickling in. Timothy McGee actor Sean Murray already spoiled a major returning guest star, Joe Spano as T.C. Fornell, when he posted pictures that featured the actor on Instagram. Now, the first news about guest stars from other "NCIS" shows has arrived. Per TV Line, both Kensi Blye-Deeks (Daniela Ruah) from "NCIS: Los Angeles" and Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) from "NCIS: Hawai'i" will appear in this massive "NCIS" Season 21 episode. 

There is a small caveat, though. Unlike Fornell, who seems to be hanging out with the Washington D.C. team in Murray's behind-the-scenes images, these two major characters won't actually stand face to face with any of the "NCIS" team members. As such, it's probably fair to expect that their appearances will take place via a video conference call or other long-distance means — which, to be fair, should still be pretty cool. Apart from Fornell, Blye-Deeks, and Tennant, the 1,000th episode will also feature Director Leon Vance's (Rocky Carroll) son, Jared (Spence Moore II), presumably as part of its Vance-centric storyline. 

The signs have pointed to the "NCIS" franchise's 1,000th episode being a surprise-filled crossover for a while — not just because the massive number is the combined count of every "NCIS" show's episodes but also because the people behind the show have hinted as much. "We're going to play plenty of homage to the past," one of the showrunners, David North, said in an interview with TV Line. 

"We're hoping to put some Easter eggs for longtime fans of the show ..." co-showrunner Steven D. Binder added. "If you're watching it in 4K, you might have to blow some things up. But they're going to be there."

This and the fact that cast members of all "NCIS" shows were present at the episode's grand announcement have indicated pretty heavily that the original show's team will have some big-name visitors from the spin-offs. With the announcement of Daniela Ruah and Vanessa Lachey, the episode's crossover status is now fully confirmed ... and fans can start waiting for the next big news about returning names.