TV Here are the biggest NCIS guest stars you may have forgotten about From Michelle Obama to Lily Tomlin, Drew Carey to Sheryl Crow, "NCIS" has had a wild variety of guests. By Dustin Nelson Published on April 15, 2024 09:00AM EDT The world of NCIS is reaching a massive milestone. Between the flagship series, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai'i, and NCIS: Sydney, the franchise will air its 1,000th episode on April 15. What started as a single series in 2003 has expanded to epic proportions with more than 42,000 minutes of naval investigations. And it's not slowing down. CBS has announced that more spinoffs are on the way. Of course, with that many episodes, a stunning number of guest stars have passed through the universe, including actors that hadn't yet risen to fame like Abigail Breslin, icons like Lily Tomlin and Jamie Lee Curtis, and even an appearance from First Lady Michelle Obama. Here are the biggest guest stars to pass through NCIS shows during the franchise's first 1,000 episodes. Abigail Breslin on 'NCIS'. CBS Abigail Breslin Abigail Breslin popped up in a season 2 episode back in 2004. This was after Signs but well before some of her most notable early performances in films like Little Miss Sunshine and Zombieland. Mya on 'NCIS'. CBS Mya When she made her guest appearance, Mya had already done her Grammy-winning "Lady Marmalade" collaboration with Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, and Pink for Moulin Rouge. She had also grabbed smaller roles in Chicago, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and Shall We Dance? when she appeared in a season 2 episode of NCIS. Corey Stoll on 'NCIS'. Ron Jaffe/CBS Corey Stoll Before his villainous turn as Darren Cross in Ant-Man (and later, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), Corey Stoll played Martin Quinn in three episodes of NCIS. He dropped in for back-to-back installments during season 4 and reprised the role in season 5. Susan Kelechi Watson on 'NCIS'. CBS Susan Kelechi Watson Like Stoll, Susan Kelechi Watson's character appeared in three NCIS episodes. The This Is Us actress first surfaced during an early season 5 episode before returning weeks later for another pair of episodes. Meredith Eaton on 'NCIS'. Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Meredith Eaton Following her breakout role on Boston Legal, Meredith Eaton's character, Carol Wilson, has appeared in five episodes across the NCIS universe. Eaton starred in one episode each in seasons 7, 9, 11, and 19 of NCIS, and in the second-ever episode of NCIS: New Orleans. Paula Newsome on 'NCIS'. Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Paula Newsome Best known for her regular appearances on shows like CSI: Vegas and Chicago Med, Paula Newsome has been in another popular TV universe. Starting with the season 6 episode, "Knockout," Newsome appeared in four episodes of NCIS, with her most recent guest spot coming in 2013. Robert Wagner on 'NCIS'. Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Robert Wagner The beloved actor has guest starred on NCIS as much as just about anyone who isn't a series regular. Robert Wagner played Anthony DiNozzo Sr., father of Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo, in 13 episodes. Wagner's appearances began in 2010, and he was most recently on the show in 2019. Gena Rowlands on 'NCIS'. Michael Yarish/CBS via Getty Gena Rowlands Gena Rowlands, whose lengthy career spans iconic independent films like A Woman Under the Influence and more recent dramas like Hope Floats, appeared in a season 7 episode of the flagship series. Jonathan Frakes on 'NCIS'. Monty Brinton/CBS Jonathan Frakes Best known for his role as William T. Riker in the Star Trek universe, Jonathan Frakes is also an accomplished director. He has flexed his acting and directing chops on NCIS: Los Angeles. He trekked into a scene just once but has directed six episodes of the show. Bob Newhart on 'NCIS'. Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Bob Newhart The legendary Bob Newhart popped up during season 8 of NCIS. While he might not have appeared in shows and movies frequently in recent years, he has continued to act occasionally over the last 15 years, most recently taking on a recurring role in The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. Scott Wolf on 'NCIS'. Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Scott Wolf Scott Wolf, a veteran of many shows, had a three-episode run in season 9 of NCIS that included the season premiere, "Nature of the Beast." Cheryl Ladd on 'NCIS'. Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Cheryl Ladd Former Charlie's Angels star Cheryl Ladd made her first and only NCIS cameo in a season 9 episode called "Thirst." Lily Tomlin on 'NCIS'. Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Lily Tomlin The hilarious Lily Tomlin's resume runs deep, and it includes NCIS. The 9 to 5 star graced a single season 9 episode back in 2011. Jamie Lee Curtis on 'NCIS'. Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Jamie Lee Curtis The Oscar-winning Halloween actress took on a big role in the later part of NCIS' ninth season. Jamie Lee Curtis played Dr. Samantha Ryan across five episodes, starting with episode 16, "Psych Out." Glen Powell on 'NCIS'. CBS Glen Powell Before Glen Powell took to the skies in Top Gun: Maverick, he had a two-episode NCIS stint during season 10. Colin Hanks on 'NCIS'. Robert Voets/CBS via Getty Colin Hanks Colin Hanks was already a star with dozens of credits to his name when he had a three-episode run on NCIS, which spread across the end of season 10 and into the season 11 premiere. Michelle Trachtenberg on 'NCIS'. Richard Foreman/CBS via Getty Michelle Trachtenberg Michelle Trachtenberg jumped into NCIS: Los Angeles shortly after the end of Gossip Girl. The Buffy star appeared in a single season 5 episode. Jeri Ryan on 'NCIS'. Greg Gayne/CBS via Getty Jeri Ryan Years after appearing in more than 100 episodes of Star Trek: Voyager — a role she reprised on Star Trek: Picard — Jeri Ryan guest starred in "Check," a season 12 episode of NCIS. Michelle Obama on 'NCIS'. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson via CBS Michelle Obama It was a bit of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance for First Lady Michelle Obama, who appeared as herself toward the end of the season 13 episode "Homefront." She was still First Lady at the time. Jon Cryer on 'NCIS'. Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Jon Cryer Jon Cryer starred as Dr. Cyril Taft in a trio of episodes spread across season 13, starting with the season premiere. It was a big change from his role in Two and a Half Men, which was still airing at the time. Taye Diggs on 'NCIS'. Taye Diggs The varied career of Taye Diggs — from Rent to The House on Haunted Hill to Equilibrium — includes a one-episode pitstop on NCIS in 2016. Mario Lopez on 'NCIS: New Orleans'. Skip Bolen/CBS via Getty Mario Lopez Mario Lopez stopped in for an episode of NCIS: New Orleans in 2016. The Saved by the Bell actor and Access Hollywood host appeared as Officer Hernandez during season 3. Sheryl Crow on 'NCIS: New Orleans'. am Lothridge/CBS via Getty Sheryl Crow Better known for her music than her acting chops, a guitar-toting Sheryl Crow appeared as herself during a season 3 episode of NCIS: New Orleans. It did not qualify as her favorite mistake. Drew Carey on 'NCIS'. Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Drew Carey Who doesn't like a little corporate synergy? Drew Carey had been hosting The Price Is Right for years on CBS when he made a one-episode guest appearance in a 2018 episode of NCIS. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. 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