NCIS proved that it still has what it takes to deliver a killer cliffhanger after more than a decade and a half when the Season 16 finale ended on confirmation that Ziva is very much alive. After the season dropped hint after hint that her off-screen Season 13 death wasn't really the end of her story, Ziva walked down the steps into Gibbs' basement. It was one of the biggest twists of the whole 2019 finale season, and fans have been dying to know what happens next.
Well, hiatus is finally almost at an end, and CBS released a trailer for NCIS Season 17 that reveals plenty of Ziva, plenty of action, and plenty to get fans more hyped than ever for what's to come. Take a look!
In the Season 17 premiere, called "Out of the Darkness," Ziva will surprise her former boss with a cryptic warning, leading him to wonder why she allowed her family and friends to believe she's dead for so many years. That, of course, leads to the big question of what was big enough to bring her back into the fold.
Ziva is freakin' alive! Unlike fans who have been waiting since May to find out what happens now that Ziva is officially among the living, most of the NCIS team had no idea that she wasn't long dead by this point. In the trailer, Palmer understandably needs to sit down to process the news, while McGee is angry that nobody thought to tell him that the woman who is like a sister to him didn't die an awful death. Also understandably, although hopefully he sees the sunny side of the situation sooner rather than later. As Torres noted, Ziva is freakin's alive!
Unfortunately, the sunny side of the situation may be rough to see at first. While Ziva's alive, she and Gibbs are in very real danger, as they're attacked in his basement seemingly not too long after Ziva turned up to warn him. The trailer isn't all action from start to finish, though. Ziva seems to be missing her daughter, who is presumably safe and sound (though sadly without her mom) with Tony. Is Ziva's endgame to end the threats against her so she can reunite with Tali?
It was already teased that the Season 17 premiere would be packed full of Ziva, and she will be back several more times throughout Season 17. Whatever happens to kick off the season, we don't have to worry that Ziva was brought back just to be immediately killed off for real. Who knows? Maybe NCIS will decide to deliver a happily-ever-after for a character who has had a rough ride and reunite her with Tony and their daughter.
The big trailer follows the release of some photos of what's in store, and they show Ziva and Gibbs getting downright filthy, although in a very NCIS way. The new footage fills in some blanks, but there are still more questions than answers. Fortunately, the footage means can have some fun in the remaining weeks of hiatus speculating.
NCIS returns for Season 17 on Tuesday, September 24 at 8 p.m. ET, shortly before NCIS: New Orleans premieres, both on CBS. NCIS: Los Angeles is sticking with a Sunday time slot in the 2019 fall TV premiere schedule.
