Franks, Vera and Fornell Return - NCIS: Origins

NCIS: Origins will bring back three of Gibbs' old acquaintances to help him pursue this season's mystery.Muse Watson, Roma Maffia and Joe Spano will return as Mike Franks, Vera Strickland and Tobias Fornell respectively.TVLine has confirmed the news, and Deadline first reported the guest appearance.

Each of the three appeared in a different episode.According to the US broadcast schedule announced by CBS, the episode starring Watson will be broadcast at 10 pm on November 17, followed by Mafia on December 1 and Spano on December 8.CBS also released the first batch of stills from these episodes.

They are involved in a storyline that revolves around contemporary Gibbs.The official plot synopsis states that each person will bring important clues to help uncover the truth behind Lala Dominguez's disappearance and the past that affected Gibbs and the Origin team decades ago.Earlier this season, Gibbs said that Lara died in a plane crash years ago, but that statement may not have told the full story.

Mark Harmon will appear in every episode this season.In the first episode, contemporary Gibbs is attacked by an unknown gunman and has been trying to figure out who is after him ever since.He has previously reunited with Tony DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly, who now takes over the directorship of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS); Emily Wickersham will also return for multiple episodes as Bishop, using undercover experience to assist Gibbs in the investigation.

Watson has appeared in 20 episodes of NCIS, playing Gibbs' friend and mentor Franks; Malfia's agent Vera appeared in two episodes of the parent show.Both actors participated in the crossover between the parent show and 《Origin》 last season.In the prequel's 1990s timeline, young Franks and Vera are played by Kyle Schmid and Diane Rodriguez respectively.Spano has played Fornell since the first season of NCIS and has appeared in nearly 60 episodes.The former FBI special agent who became one of Gibbs' closest friends and long-time allies appears for the first time in NCIS: Origins.