'NCIS' season 17 spisode 20 spoilers: Finale is here

"NCIS" season 17 episode 20 is highly anticipated by fans as it marks the last segment of the season after the show was cut short due to coronavirus pandemic. The next chapter remains important because it serves as the finale for now. Here is everything we know about the next chapter of the series.

[Spoiler alert! This article contains spoilers for "NCIS" season 17 episode 20. Do not read further if you don't wish to know more about it.]

This time when the show returns from a break, it will be the time for the finale already. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the showrunners had to suspend the production of the remaining three episodes, including the landmark 400th episode.

This week's episode 20 will be the last outing for Gibbs and his team members for a while. The episode is titled "The Arizona" and it will see an unusual storyline. As per the synopsis, the team members will be busy verifying the identity of a man named Joe Smith, as played by guest star Christopher Lloyd.

Joe claims to have served on the U.S.S. Arizona, a battleship built for the United States Navy in the mid-1910s and was assaulted during the attack on Pearl Harbour. Apparently, Joe was working on the ship during the attack and now wants to be buried there upon his death.

The trailer for the finale introduces the fans to the character Joseph Smith, who trespasses Gibbs' house and steals his Purple Heart. He openly admits having committed the theft and asks to answer their question only when he is offered a root beer.

Untimely though, episode 20 seems to be a perfect ending to the current season with a brilliant and out-of-the-box storyline.

In other news, apart from cutting short the current season, NCIS is forced to delay its milestone 400th episode due to coronavirus pandemic. The show was apparently just two days away from starting the production of episode 399.

"Episode No. 399 was just two days away from the start of production," co-showrunner Frank Cardea told TVLine. "All of the prep work was completed, sets were built, the guest cast was set as were locations." As such, "No. 400 was set to shoot next, and we will probably still shoot it as 400 and air as 400."

The police procedural that premiered in September 2003 was expected to complete 400 episodes before the seventeenth season came to an end. As per the showrunner, they had "special things planned for it."

Meanwhile, Episode 400 brought with it a "very interesting script" as written by Steven D. Binder, tracing the origin of Gibbs and Ducky's friendship.

"NCIS" season 17 finale airs Tuesday on CBS.