Tony DiNozzo was one of NCIS’ first leading characters, being introduced with Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Abby Sciuto and Ducky Mallard in the two JAG episodes that functioned as the show’s backdoor pilot. Following the death of Sasha Alexander’s Caitlin Todd in the NCIS Season 2 finale, Ziva David was introduced at the start of Season 3 and took her place on the team. For the next eight years, these two solved crimes together for the Naval Criminal Investigate Service and developed a ‘will they, won’t they’ romantic tension, leading to fans shipping them together as “Tiva.”
It’s been a long time since either of these characters were key players in the NCIS universe, but that will soon change. It was announced in February 2024 that a streaming spinoff focused on Tony and Ziva was in the works, and three months later, it was appropriately titled NCIS: Tony and Ziva. Here are the big things we know about this upcoming TV show so far.
What Is The NCIS: Tony And Ziva’s Premiere Date?
Although NCIS: Tony and Ziva does not have a premiere date yet, it’s safe to assume until it won’t arrive until 2025. Production isn’t scheduled to begin until later this summer, meaning the chances of it being ready to drop into the 2024 TV schedule are slim. As for when it would specifically be released in 2025, spring or summer would be the most logical choices.
What NCIS: Tony And Ziva Will Be About
After faking her death and spending years in hiding, NCIS Season 17 saw Ziva finally becoming a free woman again after the woman who’d been targeting her was killed. After that mess was cleaned up, Ziva traveled to Paris to reunite with Tony and their daughter Tali. That’s where viewers will find them when NCIS: Tony and Ziva starts.
Unfortunately, it won’t take long for their lives to become a lot more complicated. After Tony’s security company is attacked, he and Ziva must go on the run across Europe to figure out who’s after them and, as stated in the official synopsis, “maybe even learn to trust each other again so that they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.”
The NCIS: Tony And Ziva Cast Includes Michael Weatherly And Cote De Pablo
It would be bizarre if NCIS: Tony and Ziva didn’t star the two actors who originally played the roles, but we don’t have to worry about experiencing such an odd twist. Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo will respectively reprise Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David, marking the first time these characters have been onscreen together since the NCIS Season 11 episode “Past, Present, and Future,” which aired on October 1, 2013. That was de Pablo’s last episode as a series regular, and Weatherly exited the main cast in the Season 13 finale, “Family First.”
After being presumed dead at the end of Season 13, Ziva made a surprise appearance in the Season 16 finale, “Daughters,” and went on to recur throughout Season 17. Tony briefly popped back up again in the Season 21 episode “The Stories We Leave Behind” to attend the memorial service for Ducky Mallard. It’s been teased that Cote de Pablo might appear on NCIS again in the near future, though it’s hard to say if this would help set up NCIS: Tony and Ziva in any way.
The Other Characters Expected To Appear In NCIS: Tony And Ziva
When Tony learned about Tali’s existence in the NCIS Season 13 finale, she was just a toddler. When NCIS: Tony and Ziva begins, she’ll be a preteen, and Michael Weatherly has confirmed she’ll play an important role in the spinoff. The actor said at the Monte Carlo TV Festival (via Deadline) that “every choice” the title characters “have to make in their adventure, their child is first and foremost in the front of their mind.” What hasn’t been cleared up yet is if Tali will join her parents on the run or if she’ll be followed along with in a different location.
Additionally, details about brand-new characters starring in NCIS: Tony and Ziva have been shared. According to TVLine, “British nanny/bodyguard role,” a “Russian hacker extraordinaire” and a “French Interpol liaison.” Presumably the nanny/bodyguard will be the person protecting Tali, but there’s been no clarification about if those latter two characters will be allies or enemies to the main protagonists.
The Series Will Be Exclusive To Paramount+
Unlike all the other NCIS shows that come before it, including the Gibbs-centric prequel NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Tony and Ziva will not air on CBS. Instead, it will be exclusive to watch with a Paramount+ subscription, the same streaming home where the other shows can be accessed.
While speaking with Vulture, George Cheeks, the president and CEO of CBS, and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+, said the reason NCIS: Tony and Ziva is being sent straight to Paramount+ rather than airing on CBS first boiled down to two reasons. One, it “felt more like a serialized streaming show,” and two, it’s an “example of us trying to expand the aperture of NCIS,” like what was done with Criminal Minds: Evolution.
Will Other NCIS Characters Show Up In The Spinoff?
In March 2024, Deadline asked CBS Studios president David Stapf if there was a “possibility” if other NCIS characters could appear alongside Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo in NCIS: Tony and Ziva, and he responded, “In all honesty, as it’s designed now, no, but never say never.” So don’t expect any special NCIS appearances in the spinoff during this inaugural season.
Still, depending on how long the spinoff lasts, maybe there will come an opportunity for folks like Mark Harmon, Sean Murray, Brian Dietzen or Rocky Carroll to stop by (Pauley Perrette reprising Abby Sciuto seems less likely since she retired from acting). De Pablo also expressed interest in having Rudolf Martin reprise Ari Haswari, Ziva’s late half-brother, as a ghost or hallucination.
As more major details about NCIS: Tony and Ziva are shared with the public, we’ll add them here alongside our other coverage. Until then, look over the best Paramount+ shows that can be streamed now.
