The NCIS shows aren't new tonight but there's a new NCIS special to enjoy!

NCIS and NCIS: Hawaii are taking the week off, but expect a fantastic special to fill up the time! Find out more here!

It’s amazing to look back 20 years at how NCIS started. It was the classic “backdoor pilot” for the military legal series JAG, with Mark Harmon making a return to television as Leroy “Jethro” Gibbs. No one could imagine it would grow into one of the biggest franchises in all of television.

It’s spawned spinoffs for L.A., New Orleans, Hawaii and Sydney, each a hit while the mothership series keeps going on into its 21st season. It’s now set to enjoy an incredible achievement with the 1,000th episode of the entire franchise to air on April 15. It’ll be a great episode with expected cameos from some past NCIS faces. 

The franchise is going strong with NCIS: Sydney earning a second season, and plans are underway for a "young Gibbs" prequel show and a European-based spinoff that reunites Michael Weatherly’s Tony with Cote de Pablo’s Ziva. 

So with that big event coming, it’s no wonder NCIS is taking off the week of Monday, April 8. But don’t worry, they’re still delivering a big special for this special occasion!

Inside the NCIS April 8 special

Airing on CBS, NCISverse: The First 1000 is a brand new Entertainment Tonight special celebrating the franchise. It will air at 9 p.m. ET, right in between reruns of NCIS Season 21 episodes 3 and 4. What to expect from the special, according to the press release:

"This one-hour ET special, celebrating 1,000 episodes of the NCIS franchise, includes exclusive interviews with the stars of NCIS, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, NCIS: NEW ORLEANS, NCIS: HAWAI’I and NCIS: SYDNEY. The cast and guest stars share favorite memories and behind-the-scenes moments from 20 years’ worth of never-before-seen interviews from the ET vault. ET’s Kevin Frazier hosts from the NCIS studio lot, where the flagship show has been filmed and produced by CBS Studios for two decades. Also included is a rare look inside with the cast and crews to produce TV’s #1 primetime drama franchise. The special reveals new details about the origins of NCIS, including how the multi-show, global phenomenon was created and changed the face of the real NCIS."

It appears NCISverse: The First 1000 will be a great deep dive, with Frazier speaking to the current NCIS cast members and those from the spinoffs. It will no doubt include a few tributes to David MacCallum, who played beloved medical examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard, and other past faces. 

It may also have peeks at the upcoming 1000th episode of the franchise, which airs April 15. So, for fans of NCIS, this should be a great celebration of the franchise’s history and how it looks ready to continue for the future. 

NCISverse: The First 1000 airs Monday, Apr. 8 at 9/8c on CBS. The special will be available to stream on Paramount+ the day after it airs.