THE NCIS The franchise is a huge institution, so it’s no wonder some actors have played multiple characters across its sprawling storyline. It would disrupt the narrative on most television shows if the same person appeared as different characters, with many of them only running for a few years. However, NCIS‘The rich tapestry of more than two decades on television allows actors to enter and exit the narrative so differently NCIS characters perfectly. Furthermore, the fact that NCIS There are so many spinoffs that some actors can always appear on a different show as a new character.
The franchise has handled more than a thousand cases between NCIS and its many spin-off shows, meaning there were thousands of opportunities to play a character tied to a weekly case. The television institution continues to grow, expanding opportunities for the return of your favorite actors without compromising the integrity of its complex web of narratives. Even fan-favorite characters like Timothy McGee and Mike Franks have had their actors play different roles within the shared NCIS universe, adding another layer of complexity to its established presence.
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Sean Murray
JAG, NCIS
The most prominent figure playing multiple characters in the shared game NCIS universe is Sean Murray, who plays Special Agent Timothy McGee in the NCIS season 22 cast. Before your passing NCIS, which started in season 1, Murray appeared in NOTCH. The legal procedure of the 1990s is the predecessor of the NCIS, which hosted its backdoor pilot.
Murray plays two different characters in NOTCH. In Season 4, Episode 3, “Innocence,” Murray appears as Ensign Terry Guitry. The actor returns for a more substantial passage in NOTCH season 6, playing Danny Walden in five episodes, with his stint ending in 2001. Murray would appear as a rookie agent in NCIS just a few years later, in 2003.
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Tom Schanley
JAG, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawaii
Tom Schanley occupies a prominent place in the NCIS franchise. Schanley appeared in five shows across the NCIS universeincluding NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Los Angeles, and NOTCH. After appearing in NOTCH in 1999, Schanley appears for the first time in NCIS season 9, episode 10, “Sins of the Father.” After that, Schanley appeared once in every location-based spinoff series except NCIS: Sydney and NCIS: Origins.
After appearing as “Crazy Sam” in NCIS: Hawaii season 1, episode 4, “Paniolo”, Schanley returned to the flagship in NCIS season 22. In episode 5, Schanley plays CIA officer Conrad, a dirty CIA agent who worked with NCIS in his Thomas Butler. The agent tells NCIS that Butler is a Russian spy when in fact he has retired from a career as a double agent working for the Americans.
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Diane Rodrigues
NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Origins
After a brief report in NCIS: New Orleans As DHS Agent Garcia in Season 4 Episode 1, “Rogue Nation,” Diany Rodriguez was destined for a much more significant role in the police procedural universe. Rodriguez only has a few seconds on screen alongside Special Agent in Charge Dwayne Cassius Pride (Scott Bakula) in the NCIS: New Orleans released as she takes command and leaves. However, Rodriguez has a prominent role NCIS: Origins.
Rodriguez plays Special Agent Vera Strickland in the NCIS: Origins prequel story. Strickland received a brief introduction in the original series in NCIS season 11, and Rodriguez is reviving the character from Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ prequel series. After only a momentary cameo in the Bayou-based spinoff, it’s excellent that Rodriguez got more screen time, as she’s perfect as Mike Franks’ ex-partner.
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Patrick Fischler
NCIS: Hawaii, NCIS: Origins
THE NCIS: Origins The cast features another familiar face, Patrick Fischler, who plays Special Agent Cliff Wheeler. Fischler appears in NCIS universe in NCIS: Hawaii alongside Vanessa Lachey’s Jane Tennant. Before Fischler was anyone in the Gibbs prequel, he was Glenn Smith in NCIS: Hawaii season 1, episode 14, “Broken.”
Glenn Smith, Inspector General of the CIA office, seeks out Tennant to gather details about Maggie Shaw and her connection to Jane’s family. Before he was NCIS: Hawaii, Fischler also appeared in Hawaii Five-0 like Ryan Webb and so on NCIS. Fischler played George Stenner in NCIS season 5episode 15, “Into the Zone.”
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Michael Nouri
NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans, Hawaii Five-0
Michael Nouri had a significant supporting role in the original NCIS series, appearing as Ziva David’s father, Eli David, from seasons 6 to 10. Eli David was also the father of NCIS antagonist Ari Haswai, who trained as a Mossad agent but betrayed his father and his country. Nouri’s last appearance is in NCIS season 10episode 11, “Shabbat Shalom”, when he dies in a shootout during dinner with Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll), whose wife, Jackie Vance (Paula Newsome), dies from injuries sustained in the attack.
After your robust NCIS paper, Nouri later appears in NCIS: New Orleans Season 6, Episode 9, ‘Doomed’. However, Nouri has an undeclared role as a man named Jason Campbell. Nouri also appears in Hawaii Five-0, who shares the NCIS universe. He plays Oscar Hirsch in Hawaii Five-0 season 10, episode 20, “He puhe’e miki.”
5
Liza Lapira
NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans
Liza Lapira has an important role in NCIS as Special Agent Michelle Leea lawyer who temporarily joins Gibbs’ team in seasons 4 and 6. In NCIS In season 4, Lee is involved in some cases at the beginning of the issue, during a brief defeat of the team by Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) during Gibbs’ temporary retirement. She also has a brief affair with Dr. James Palmer (Brian Dietzen).
In NCIS In Season 6, the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) discovers that Agent Lee is a mole tasked with obtaining classified military plans. Ultimately, Lapira leaves the series when her character sacrifices herself in a tense situation with Gibbs (Mark Harmon). Lapira returns to NCIS in its spinoff set in the SoutheastAraminta Jax in NCIS: New Orleans Season 5, Episode 15, “Crab Mentality” in 2019.
4
John Getz
NCIS
John Getz has several characters in NCIS, appearing on the series recently in the 22nd season. He first appears in season 7, episode 14, “Masquerade”. In season 7, Getz plays Walter Kane, a Pentagon employee and the owner of a private investigation firm. Getz returns in NCIS season 22, with the series repeating its connection to the Pentagon.
In NCIS season 22, episode 5, ‘In From the Cold’, Getz plays Thomas Butlera retired double agent who provided the United States with crucial information from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Getz plays the character beautifully, leaving the audience wondering if he is having memory problems or if he is still working undercover. Getz is a guest alongside Tom Schanley, who also has several appearances on NCIS.
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Scotty Thompson
NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles
A substantial love interest for Anthony DiNozzo, Scottie Thompson plays two characters in the NCIS universe. She has a considerable role as Jeanne Benoit in NCIS and a special appearance in NCIS: Los Angeles. Thompson appears in 18 NCIS episodes like Joana. Her character is the daughter of an arms dealer, La Grenoille (Armand Assante).
After his last appearance in NCIS season 13, episode 16, “Loose Cannons”, leading into the Michael Weatherly film NCIS exit, Thompson returns in NCIS: Los Angeles. She plays Sarah Raines in NCIS: Los Angeles season 11, episode 18, “Lost Time.” It was great to see Thompson at NCIS universe again, but the looks didn’t rival her memorable role as René Benoit’s daughter.
2
Joe Spano
JAG, NCIS
Joe Spano has a substantial role in NCIS franchise, making him the most prominent guest character. Spano is a fan favorite NCIS character Tobias Fornell, who appears in the first episode of NCIS franchise, the NCIS pilot episode, “Yankee White”. Spano is an FBI agent and adversary of Gibbs and his team in “Yankee White”, resenting how Gibbs’ team outsmarts him at several turns.
However, Spano’s character became a friend and ally to Gibbs, one of the only people in the NCIS franchise that Gibbs sees as a friend. Gibbs and Fornell even have an ex-wife in charge, Melinda McGraw’s Diane Sterling, which ties them together outside of work. Spano even has a cameo role as Fornell in NCIS: New Orleans season 1, episode 5, “It Happened Last Night.”
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However, Spano’s first character in the shared NCIS universe years before was Navy Captain Jack Murphya guest role in NOTCH season 3, episode 22, ‘Clipped Wings’. Spano’s only connection to the Navy in the series is his appearance as a Navy Captain in NOTCH as he plays an FBI agent. In NCIS In season 22, the series gave Spano’s character a proper retirement by having Parker (Gary Cole) and Wayne Sweeney (Erik Passoja) reconcile, with NCIS effectively writing out its last original cast member.
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Muse Watson
JAG, NCIS
Before playing Special Agent Michael Franks in NCIS, Muse Watson featured in NOTCH season 4episode 3, “Innocence”, as Admiral Arthur Fessenden. Watson is known for his character Mike Franks, first introduced in NCIS season 3, episode 23, “Hiatus Part I.” The introduction of Watson as Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ former partner and mentor made it one of the best episodes of NCIS.
Watson has an iconic series of appearances in NCIS and is one of the series’ most frequent guest stars. After Frank’s death, Watson appears as a ghost that Gibbs interacts with when he needs advice. THE NCIS: Origins the prequel story revived the Mike Franks character, with Kyle Schmid taking on the role of young Mike Franks.