NCIS dropped one of its most exciting twists in Season 16 by teasing Ziva David's survival following a mortar attack seasons prior, and now Season 17 is about to one up that. Not only is Ziva David alive, but the show was able to convince Cote de Pablo to return to the series in Season 17 to take part in the upcoming season.
Fans have been psyched to see how NCIS will work Ziva into the fold, and the cast and crew have been teasing all they can about her re-emergence without spoiling the pertinent details. Star Wilmer Valderrama is the latest to share a tease as he posted two photos from a vehicle with co-star Emily Wickersham and Cote de Pablo.
In the caption Wilmer Valderrama posted the premiere date of Season 17, which may mean the key to what's happening with Ziva will begin right there. That would make the most sense as Season 16's finale saw the mysterious agent re-appear to her old mentor Gibbs, who was really affected by her death. With that said, he didn't look all that shocked to be seeing a "ghost" when Ziva appeared, so maybe the reason behind that will be clear in Season 17.
The fact that Cote de Pablo is hanging with Wilmer Valderrama and Emily Wickersham is interesting, and may imply that Torres and Bishop will do some investigating with Ziva. That's somewhat strange considering there are others on the team she'd have a bigger connection with, although Bishop was the first person on the team that Ziva reached out to following her "death." Of course, they could just be carpooling and this has nothing to do with a scene between the three.
Michael Weatherly, unfortunately, was not featured in the NCIS photo, which means fans will have to continue to wait and see if DiNozzo will reunite with the mother of his child. Audiences loved the dynamic between DiNozzo and David, so it would be a shame if the two didn't reunite on camera for a moment that seemed like something that would never happen a couple of years ago.
Especially when it seemed so unlikely that Cote de Pablo would ever be up to returning to NCIS. While some folks maintain Ziva David's fate was up in the air even before Season 16 teased her survival, Cote de Pablo had given statements that indicated she was disinterested in returning to the CBS show. In short, she felt like there wasn't a ton left for the character, although NCIS must've changed her perspective on that seeing as she's back for Season 17.
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NCIS returns to CBS for Season 17 Tuesday, September 24, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stick with CinemaBlend for more updates on the Ziva situation as they come, and for the latest news happening in the world of television and movies.
