‘NCIS’: Brian Dietzen Teases Returning Characters — Get Details on When
What To Know
- NCIS will celebrate its 500th episode on March 17, 2026, marking a major milestone for the long-running series.
- Brian Dietzen teased fans will recognize some characters who will appear in upcoming episodes.
NCIS is reaching “rare air” in March, with the show’s 500th episode (the entire franchise reached 1,000 episodes in 2024). And milestone episodes are usually something special, so TV Insider, while talking to Brian Dietzen recently, of course had to check if it or other episodes could include returning characters — there are quite a few to pull from not only NCIS but one of the spinoffs as well.
“This season has been just terrific. It’s been really fun to do. We do have some returning faces, and I can’t say, obviously, who they are, otherwise it would spoil it for people who enjoy the surprise like I do,” he teased. “But one of the things that makes NCIS so great is that we do have familiar faces from the past that could pop up at any moment. And that is what’s going to happen over the next several shows.”
NCIS has, after all, been on for 23 seasons, and there have been several cast changes over those years. We even saw, recently, Adam Campbell reprise his role as young Ducky — on NCIS: Origins, after he appeared in four episodes of the mothership. Roma Maffia reprised her role as Vera on the mothership in the Origins crossover, and she’d love to return again. So, there are plenty of ways for actors to return.
With it now in its 23rd season, the series is going to be airing its 500th episode on March 17, 2026, and just last week, the cast celebrated the milestone.
“This last week has been a whirlwind because we’ve been fortunate enough to have the good folks from the studio and from the network come visit us, and from Paramount. And you realize how many episodes 500 is,” Dietzen shared. “We’re just working day by day up in Santa Clarita. You kind of lose the forest for the trees because we’re just kind of going up there doing scene by scene and episode by episode trying to make good shows happen, so, you don’t really understand the totality of it until someone says, ‘OK, everybody stop. Let’s just stop. Let’s eat some cake and talk about what it means for 500.’ It’s pretty rare air now that I’m looking around the television landscape. You go, ‘Man, there’s not a lot of shows that are doing this sort of thing.’ So I feel really humbled and really honored that I have a part in that.”
Which characters would you like to see return? Let us know in the comments section below.
NCIS, Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS
—Additional reporting by Meaghan Darwish
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M
Abby ! Tony and Ziva. Gibbs.
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J
Gibbs, Fornell and Colonel Mann
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L
Tony and or ziva would be the best option. But I'd love to see Abby and Gibbs!
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K
Abby, Tony, Ziva, Gibbs......nothing compares to the mark they left on NCIS. Forever loved and missed!
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C
Bishop
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T
Come on, Hetty!! (wink wink).
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C
Young Ducky, Fornell, Ziva, maybe Kate via videotapes interviews, Borin, Taft and of course Gibbs.
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L
Abby Tony Ziva
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C
Hands down. Mike Franks. Even as a ghost. Love his character!
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G
Dwayne "King"Pride
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N
Abby but they are saying bishop have tony and ziva
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G
Gibbs, Abby, Tony and Ziva! Hetty and Pride also!
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C
Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Abby, Fornell, Dwayne Pride, Hetty, Bishop, and the cast from NCIS Los Angeles just to name a few.
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B
Ellie Bishop, Jane Tennant, Sebastian Lund, Patton Plame, Meredith Brody
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B
There's a MAJOR issue with your last one. Unless they recast the character she's been on the run for a few years last I knew
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J
Well we know for a fact abby will not be coming back considering the actress’s feelings towards the whole thing, but it would be nice to see gibbs again
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N
Bishop!!!
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G
Ellie Bishop; Senior DiNozzo
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L
Gibbs
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S
Id love to see Gibbs reunited with the team including Tony and Ziva, along with the LA team and Pride on a mission to bring back Hetty.
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C
Kensi and Pride
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A
Abby and Gibbs and a crossover Pride.
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G
Gibbs fills on as Acting Director. Tony or Zeva or both appear to help out.
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W
I think the NCIS Origins show had music from BOYS2MEN which is from 90s. What time frame are they in?
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M
Gibbs,Tony,Ziva," Old Ducky (AI ? ),Abby
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P
The new series Tony and Ziva are disappointing due to the level of foul language. Love the characters but show is degraded by foul language. Hence our family will not watch it.