One guest star who plays a pivotal role in NCIS’ 1000th episode appeared in an earlier piece of TV history back at the beginning of their career.
Bandium CEO Fletcher Voss played a pivotal role in the 1000th episode of NCIS, but this is not the first time his actor has appeared in a landmark outing of a major TV show. The 1000th episode of NCIS is a major achievement for the series, and the long-running police procedural celebrated in style with season 21, episode 7, “A Thousand Yards.” Although it has been 23 years since NCIS originally debuted, this milestone managed to bring back the pilot episode’s story with a killer twist.
Many familiar faces from NCIS history reappeared in “A Thousand Yards,” but the episode also featured some new arrivals. Among them was Bandium CEO Fletcher Voss, a shady tech executive who owned the app that the eponymous team used to communicate. Voss’ role in the plot against NCIS was comparatively small, although he may return in NCIS season 22 after aiding episode 1000’s main villain. Not only was Voss’ cameo role crucial to the story, the part allowed his actor, T.J. Thyne, to make TV history for the second time in his career.
T.J. Thyne Appeared In Friends’ 100th Episode – And Now NCIS’ 1000th Episode
Actor T.J. Thyne Had Roles In Both Of These Landmark TV Episodes
Fletcher Voss’ actor started his career in the 100th episode of Friends. Prolific actor T.J. Thyne played the disarmingly youthful Dr. Oberman in season 5, episode 3, “The One Hundredth.” Even though this was Thyne’s first role, he managed to play a key part in a milestone episode of one of the biggest shows in TV history. Thyne has now repeated this achievement with his appearance as Voss in NCIS’ 1000th episode, with the actor playing a more important role in another massive series reaching a significant age.
Thyne hasn’t been waiting in the wings between these two high-profile roles, of course. The actor has appeared in countless major TV shows, with parts in CSI: NY, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Grey’s Anatomy, and Charmed. Most notably, Thyne played a central role in the police procedural Bones, starring as the forensic entomologist Jack Hodgins throughout all 12 seasons. While this was Thyne’s most recognizable part, he also appeared in an earlier episode of NCIS. In season 1, episode 13, “One Shot, One Kill,” Thyne played the comparatively minor role of Carl, a sardonic warehouse employee.
Why T.J. Thyne’s NCIS 1000th Episode Role Was So Important
Thyne Played Bandium’s Boss In NCIS’ 1000th Episode
Years before he played a part in the Gibbs-free NCIS episode 1000, Thyne’s first NCIS character, Carl, criticized the titular team for not living up to his expectations from shows like CSI. “A Thousand Yards” doubled down on this, once again casting Thyne as a smarmy character who attempted to outsmart the team. Fletcher Voss was significantly more sinister than Carl, as the episode cleverly subverted Thyne’s sweet Bones persona by casting him as an egotistical, dangerous tech millionaire. Although Voss was only a support act for the NCIS outing’s real villain, Thyne was an ideal choice for the role.