When they arrest the criminal, Gibbs tells Tony "Book 'em, Dano--zo." Tony comments "Nice Hawaii 5-0 reference." With the crossover between the updated Hawaii Five-0 (2010) and NCIS: Los Angeles (2009), NCIS (2003) and the new Hawaii 5-0 take place in the same world.
Talking to the team in the squad room, Tony makes a protracted reference to the 1970s TV show Kojak (1973), complete with a lollipop (Kojak's trademark). NCIS (2003) creator and producer Donald P. Bellisario started his career writing, among other shows, for the Kojak series.
Abby makes a MacGyver reference. In 2016 the new series of MacGyver began and through a link to the new Hawaii Five-O series (also referenced in this episode) makes MacGyver also part of the same NCIS world.
During a discussion of the total blackout of the entire metro area, one of the characters referred to the "tri-state area". Two states, Maryland and Virginia, surround Washington, DC. It is sometimes loosely referred to as a "tri-state area," although the District of Columbia is not a state;
Patricia Tallman, who plays Lt. Emma Paxton (the woman at the center of the entire investigation) is not credited, possibly because, although she is shown extensively (in the prologue, in autopsy, in archive/surveillance footage, etc.), she has no speaking role.