Tony Di Nozzo and Ziva David’s much-awaited NCIS reunion may not even happen because of NCIS: Tony & Ziva’s new casting update. Years after Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo exited the famed CBS police procedural, they are slated to come back for a brand new series that will expand that always-evolving franchise. This time, the pair will spearhead their own spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which will bring back NCIS’ most famous romantic partners on the small screen for an adventure across Europe, alongside their grown-up daughter, Tali. Instead of being on CBS, however, it will stream on Paramount+.
Plot specifics are still scant at the moment for NCIS: Tony & Ziva. That being said, production for the series has seemingly already started, based on Weatherly’s recent update. In any case, this tracks with the previous confirmation that the project will kick off production on-location sometime in July. Prior to that, both actors had already returned to the flagship series, with DiNozzo appearing in NCIS season 21 for Ducky Mallard’s tribute. Aside from that, the pair is also hosting Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch podcast. Unfortunately, a reunion with their former MCRT workmates may take longer than initially perceived.
Before spearheading the inaugural MCRT team in NCIS, Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ squad looked different during his JAG debut. Why was it changed?
Tony & Ziva Get Their Own Support Team In Their NCIS Spinoff
NCIS: Tony & Ziva Will Introduce New Characters As The Couple’s Backup
No other actors have been confirmed for NCIS: Tony & Ziva besides Weatherly and de Pablo. The show has yet to even name who will play Tali, the pair’s pre-pubescent daughter who will play a big part in the show as she re-establishes her connection with her mother. That being said, a report has revealed that the former MCRT members will have their own support team during their Europe-set ordeal in the NCIS spinoff. According to the casting update, Tony and Ziva’s squad will also include a “Russian hacker extraordinaire” and a “French Interpol liaison.”
Since production is supposed to already have started, it’s safe to say that there are already actors attached to these roles. Despite barely knowing anything about them yet, these character descriptions emphasize NCIS: Tony & Ziva’s European backdrop. De Pablo has revealed that she was adamant about the show being set in Europe to separate itself from the flagship series. Because of that, it makes sense in a few ways, but primarily, it allows the offshoot to be different from its parent project. Out of the characters from the core cast, Tony is the only one who is a full American.
NCIS Spinoff’s New Ensemble Decreases The Chances Of Reuniting Tony & Ziva With Their Old Team
Tony & Ziva Won’t Be Motivated To Reach Out To McGee And Others
When the initial details about NCIS: Tony & Ziva were revealed, there was no indication if the couple is running on their own or if they have backup throughout this endeavor. Since not much has been revealed about what life has been like for the family of three after Ziva reunited with Tony and Tali, it’s difficult to imagine what kind of dynamic they currently have. For what it’s worth, Weatherly did say that trust will be a central theme in NCIS: Tony & Ziva, especially as Tali processes her mom’s resurrection.
Being in the predicament could have motivated them to get the likes of Tim McGee, Abby Sciuto, and even Leroy Jethro Gibbs involved.
Beyond their family life, however, having their own backup decreases their need to reach out to their old team for help. While there is no doubt that Tony and Ziva are both capable agents, it’s safe to say that they would be going up against a formidable foe in their offshoot. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be as compelling. This means that they cannot deal with the situation on their own, especially since they are already on the run. Being in the predicament could have motivated them to get the likes of Tim McGee, Abby Sciuto, and even Leroy Jethro Gibbs involved.
This would have effectively set the stage for the couple’s reunion with any of the aforementioned characters, effectively reviving NCIS’ best roster. Considering their history with them, any of them would be more than willing to drop everything to help Tony and Ziva in their predicament. DiNozzo’s return to the Navy Yard bullpen could have set this up, but that is now unlikely. With the pair getting their mini team in NCIS: Tony & Ziva, reaching out to MCRT and their other contacts in the agency will be reserved for really dire situations.
Why McGee & Other MCRT Characters Still Need To Appear In NCIS: Tony & Ziva
NCIS: Tony & Ziva Is The Franchise’s Best Chance For A Gibbs’ Team Reunion
After the baffling cancelation of NCIS: Hawai’i, the franchise’s expansion is now more focused on revisiting old characters from the flagship series. While this is great for those who love the earlier seasons of the police procedural, it diminishes the chances of crossovers. While NCIS: Origins is set in the past, NCIS: Tony & Ziva will live on Paramount+, and will have a different feel to it compared to its CBS parent project. At the very least, however, the latter show can bring in familiar faces to Weatherly and de Pablo’s show to establish its connection to the bigger franchise.
Beyond strengthening the evolving universe, there’s also a need to see both Tony and Ziva share the screen again with their closest MCRT friends. While both have returned to NCIS since their respective exits, they did so separately, meaning that they haven’t gotten together as a trio with McGee. Meanwhile, Tony hasn’t even interacted with Gibbs again since Weatherly left NCIS at the end of season 12. Since there aren’t any plans for the whole group to reunite in Navy Yard, this is CBS’ best and easiest way to stage their much-clamored reunion.
How NCIS: Tony & Ziva Can Get MCRT Involved
Director Leon Vance May Not Be Opposed To Helping Tony & Ziva
NCIS: Tony & Ziva can still deliver on the said reunion in smaller doses, starting with getting MCRT involved first.
Ideally, NCIS: Tony & Ziva functions as the perfect avenue to re-assemble Gibbs’ best team to deal with a brand new case more than a decade since the last time they all worked together. However, considering what’s known about the spinoff thus far, the chances of this happening are slim to none — at least in season 1 of the upcoming offshoot. Still, it doesn’t mean that Paramount+ and the people behind the project fully abandon the idea. NCIS: Tony & Ziva can still deliver on the said reunion in smaller doses, starting with getting MCRT involved first.
This can happen if the threat that Tony and Ziva deal with in their offshoot becomes a threat to international security. Since both of them worked under Director Leon Vance before, it isn’t difficult to imagine that he would be willing to pull some strings and offer support as two of his former agents get to the bottom of the mystery. This effectively gets McGee tied to the case on a professional level. From there, future NCIS: Tony & Ziva seasons can recruit more familiar faces from NCIS.
