NCIS fans left feeling vindicated as two characters return in spin-off series
Nine years after last appearing on-screen together, Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo have reunited for their own project, playing Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David.
The news follows Weatherly's special guest appearance in an episode paying tribute to David McCallum, the actor who played Dr Donald 'Ducky' Mallard in the long-running crime procedural. He died in September 2023.
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When the project was announced, no title was set – but it's now been revealed the series will be called NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
The show will reintroduce viewers to Tony and Ziva who, after last seeing each other in Paris, find themselves embroiled in a dangerous plot that causes them to go on the run with their daughter.
NCIS fans are joyously responding to the trailer, with many long-time fans of the couple, nicknamed 'Tiva', feeling vindicated by the news.
'CBS has a lot of faith that the NCIS franchise still has plenty to offer. Looking forward to this one,' one fan wrote, with another adding: 'It's finally happening, I can't believe it.'
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Others said the spin-off news has lured old viewers back in. 'Me? Watching NCIS again in the year 2024? 12 year old me is dying at this news,' one person wrote.
'How is this real? Are we in 2012 again?' another added.
Speaking about the new show, Weatherly and de Pablo, who left the show in 2016, said: 'We've been talking about this story for many years, and now with John McNamara at the helm, we are ready.
'NCIS: Tony and Ziva' (Paramount+)
'The world of Tony and Ziva (and daughter Tali) promises to be an action-packed roller coaster fueled by love, danger, tears and laughter. We also want to acknowledge and thank the fans from around the world who supported the 'Tiva' movement for years.
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'To this day, they say hello in grocery stores and on the street to tell us how much these characters mean to them and ask what Tony and Ziva are up to now. This is for you!'
McNamara, whose previous credits include The Magicians, added: 'I'm incredibly excited to step into the NCIS universe with Cote and Michael and thrilled to explore it from a few new angles.
'Given that the franchise is such a global sensation, I think it's phenomenal that CBS Studios and Paramount+ have given us the green light to shoot in Europe. As to the title of this series, if I told you what it is, I'd be violating the Espionage Act.'
NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which will be released later this year, is not the only new spin-off to be commissioned; there will also be a prequel series focused on a young version of Gibbs (Mark Harmon).
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With her spouse Ollie Kaplan, Avery co-authored the middle school textbook on intersectionality Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 - 2024 Cartoonist Studio Prize Awards and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, the Gutter Review, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, in the Comics Courier and in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.
