The Episode Of NCIS You Forgot Ricky Whittle Was In

"NCIS" has been on the air since September 2003, and has produced over 400 episodes to date. Taking that into account, along with the fact that the series typically adheres to a traditional procedural format, and it probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise to learn that the CBS show has featured some notable guest stars over the years. Indeed, from younger actors like Zac Efron and Abigail Breslin to legends like Bob Newhart and Lily Tomlin, "NCIS" has had some truly noteworthy performers appear as nothing more than guest stars throughout its run.

That includes Ricky Whittle, who appeared in just one episode of "NCIS" back in 2013. In the years since then, Whittle has become known for playing Shadow Moon in Starz's "American Gods" and Lincoln in the CW's "The 100" (via IMDb). His performances in those shows, as well as his earlier work in titles like "Dream Team" and "Hollyoaks," have earned the actor a fairly dedicated base of supporters.

However, the odds are high that even the most knowledgable of Whittle's fans have forgotten about the guest villain he played in Season 10 of "NCIS."

Ricky Whittle starred in Episode 16 of "NCIS" Season 10 (via IMDb). The episode, titled "Detour," centers on Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum) and Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) when the two characters are kidnapped by a group of mysterious individuals while on their way back to NCIS headquarters after visiting the site of a Navy Lieutenant's mysterious suicide. The pair are driven to an undisclosed location by their kidnappers and, once there, are forced — much to their horror — to perform an autopsy on the dead man's body. As Palmer and Ducky do their best to navigate the situation, it is gradually revealed that the dead Navy Lieutenant was actually a spy who was stealing files from the U.S. government and that the kidnappers at the center of "Detour" are his former handlers.

Whittle plays one of the kidnappers, a mysterious and violent man named Lincoln. The "American Gods" star, admittedly, isn't given quite as much time to the shine in the episode as fans of his probably would have liked, but he does still manage to make a memorable impression in "Detour." That's especially true in the episode's final act, which features a tense moment when he holds Ducky up at gunpoint and comes dangerously close to killing the fan-favorite "NCIS" character.

All of this is to say that, whether you knew it before or not, you can add Ricky Whittle to the list of talented performers who have shown up on "NCIS."