As CBS gears up to launch the NCIS prequel NCIS: Origins on the 2024 TV schedule, Paramount+ is preparing to premiere its own NCIS spinoff. It was announced earlier this year that Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo would be reuniting for a series centered around their beloved characters, Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David. The show will see the two on the run across Europe with their tween daughter Tali after an attack at Tony’s security company. However, while this show is super exciting, something isn’t sitting right with me about the title.
Back in May, it was revealed that the series will be titled NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which makes sense initially since it revolves around Tony and Ziva -- two staple characters within the known NCIS universe. However, there are just a couple of problems with that.
For one, many fans, myself included, thought that the title would include a location, like most of the NCIS shows, aside from Origins. NCIS: Europe was likely the best choice since it follows Tiva across the country, but since Origins isn’t a location either, that gets a pass.
That being said, despite being an NCIS spinoff, Tony & Ziva doesn’t actually include any NCIS agents or anything within the organization, as far as we know. The couple aren’t agents anymore, and neither are the characters joining them, as the NCIS: Tony & Ziva cast announcement revealed. Even though there are some possibilities that NCIS characters could show up in the new spinoff, putting the organization in the title kind of feels like clickbait in a way since it’s not technically a show about NCIS.
Fans are not the only ones who have their reservations about the title. Michael Weatherly thinks the title isn’t quite right himself, but it's for a different reason. The Bull alum previously shared that the series should be called NCIS: Tony, Ziva, and Tali, since it focuses on both the former agents and their daughter. There is always the possibility that the title could be changed between now and the premiere, whenever that may be, but it sounds like there’s definitely a lot to think about.
Regardless of the title, it is still exciting that a Tony and Ziva series is even happening. The two have been fan favorites on the Mothership for years, and Weatherly has been constantly teasing fans about a potential reunion with Cote de Pablo. It was hard to predict if it would even ever happen, so when this spinoff was announced, it was incredibly exciting, even though I have reservations about the title.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva will only be available with a Paramount+ subscription and it will focus on a story outside of the NCIS (or at least that's what I assume). So, it should be interesting to see how else it differs from the rest of the franchise, which airs on CBS.
Overall, despite the title, it sounds like NCIS: Tony & Ziva will be one series you won’t want to miss.
