NCIS is one of the most popular crime series of all time. Even though the cast has changed many times, the series (including spin-offs) is still running. One actor is clearly at the forefront of most episodes. It’s not Gibbs or DiNozzo.
What is NCIS? Navy CIS is a crime series that primarily deals with cases within the US Army. The series started in 2003 and continues to this day. The series now has 22 seasons and there is no end in sight.
Over time, some actors and major fan favorites left the series. Some actors appeared in an enormous number of episodes. Two have the most, even surpassing Gibbs or DiNozzo.
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Who appeared in the most episodes? In its 22 seasons, the series currently has 477 episodes (as of November 27, 2024). Since the 22nd season is currently still running, there will probably be more to come. Of course there are also some actors who have accumulated a lot of episodes over the years.
The actor David McCallum, who plays the lovable pathologist Ducky, is right at the top. The user malo95 created a list on reddit with the number of episodes of different characters. If you don’t include spin-offs, McCallum has 458 episodes. Mark Harmon (Gibbs) “only” has 436 episodes.
Sites like Fandomwire have fewer episodes. McCallum is listed with 452, Harmon with 435. Interestingly, Michael Weatherly (Tony) only has 308 episodes.
Unfortunately, David McCallum passed away in September 2023 at the age of 90. Mark Harmon has now left the series and is unlikely to return. Another actor has been there since the first season, but only in a few episodes.
An actor has probably broken the record. According to the reddit list, Sean Murray (McGee) has appeared in 452 episodes. At the time of the list, the current 22nd season was not yet running, with the current episodes there are 458 episodes, and with the next episodes of the season (4 in number) even more. Even if the list had numerical errors, Sean Murray would break the record sooner or later if the series continues in 2025.
He first appeared in the 7th episode of the first season and appeared irregularly throughout the season. He has been a regular since season 2 and is still there today. Breaking his record will probably be quite difficult as he is the only actor who remained from the first seasons.
NCIS is one of the most successful TV series, considering how long and how successful the series has been. Fans have been watching the crime series, which mainly aired on Kabel 1 in Germany, for over 20 years. If you want more shows like this, then we have a list for you: 7 series like NCIS