An Original NCIS Character Returns In New 1000th Episode Clip

Summary Tobias Fornell returns in NCIS' 1000th episode, seeking help from Parker's team against a mysterious threat.

Gibbs' appearance in the milestone episode remains uncertain, with slim chances of a return.

Deaths of Caitlin Todd and Tom Morrow play a crucial role in the team's current case in NCIS' 1000th episode.

NCIS' 1000th episode clip reveals the return of an original cast member. CBS' long-running procedural franchise will commemorate a milestone with a case that will prompt the Special Agents to look back at the history of the agency. While it won't be a traditional crossover special, the outing will involve some characters from NCIS spinoffs. Still, the main burden to solve the case falls on HQ, as they scramble to piece the clues that would point them towards their mysterious suspect. Luckily for them, they will get some help from an unusual ally.

As seen in a new NCIS' 1000th episode, "A Thousand Yards," clip, Joe Spano's Tobias Fornell returns to the show. Watch the video from the official NCIS YouTube channel below:

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In the NCIS video, Fornell reaches out to Parker's team after he becomes a target of the anonymous perpetrator. While Spano's character wasn't an official member of the agency, his friendship with Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs resulted in him regularly getting involved with NCIS cases.

Joe Spano debuted Tobias Fornell in the NCIS' pilot episode, "Yankee White," and proceeded to reprise the role countless times throughout the show's run.

Will Mark Harmon’s Gibbs Appear In The NCIS’ 1000th Episode

Gibbs Is Currently Retired And Staying In Naktok Bay, Alaska.

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Considering how much Harmon meant to NCIS, seeing him back for the 1000th episode would be ideal. While the show has moved on two years after he left, Gibbs remains associated with the series. That being said, there is no official word if Gibbs will return for the NCIS' 1000th episode. Previously, he already missed Ducky's tribute episode, prompting NCIS to bring back Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo instead. Despite the importance of the outing, the circumstances around it mean that the chances of Gibbs appearing are very slim to none.

It's worth noting that the show's executives have made it clear that the door is always open for him to return, but they also maintain that they are saving his comeback for a narrative that can truly focus on him. Gibbs may have been a part of the procedural for almost two decades, but he cannot be the center of the NCIS' 1000th episode. The return of Fornell may already be the police procedural's way of making up for Gibbs' absence. While Spano was never a series regular, he was the most prominent recurring actor in the show.

Related Gibbs' NCIS 1000th Episode Best Replacement Cameo Is A Forgotten Dead Original Character Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs will unlikely appear in NCIS' 1000th episode, and the next best thing after him is a dead original character.

The NCIS' 1000th episode full trailer has revealed that the deaths of Caitlin Todd and Tom Morrow will be integral to the team's current case. Both of those murders happened when Gibbs was still with the agency, so it would have been great to see him get involved in this new case. Disappointing as this may be, this sets up a much-bigger return for the character, which will likely happen in the future anyway.

NCIS season 21 airs every Monday, 9pm ET on CBS.

Source: NCIS/YouTube