NCIS fans have been treated to special appearances from Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly in the years since their exits from the main cast, with the former guest-starring in the Season 16 finale and recurring in Season 17, and the latter making a surprise appearance in the Ducky tribute episode that aired earlier this year. But now the time has come for these two to take center stage in the NCIS-verse again, as their spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva continues to film overseas and is expected to premiere on the 2025 TV schedule. There have been mixed reaction to the show’s title since it was announced in May, but Weatherly passed along a fan’s explanation for why it’s “fantastic,” and I can’t argue with their rationale.
This topic came up when Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo were speaking with NCIS writer Jesse Stern own their podcast Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch. While Weatherly discussed the dynamic that Tony and Ziva built up on the flagship show (and really began when de Pablo thought he was trying to “sabotage” her audition), he recalled:
I met a 22 year old young lady the other day in Boston who freaked out about the new NCIS Tony and Ziva show. And I said, ‘What do you think of the title?’ And she said, ‘It’s fantastic. It’s what it is, Tony and Ziva. If you know what Tony and Ziva is, it’s the best title ever because that’s what you want. You know, sometimes you want a pastrami sandwich and you don’t need to call it like the Clubfooter. Just call it a pastrami sandwich.’
Back in July, Weatherly mentioned that he didn’t think NCIS: Tony & Ziva was the right kind of title for the spinoff. Instead, he suggested it be called NCIS: Tony, Ziva and Tali because of the important role Tony and Ziva’s daughter (played by Isla Gee) has in the series. A few weeks later, our own Megan Behnke pointed out that it actually doesn’t make sense for this series to have NCIS in its title since Tony and Ziva won’t be working for the title law enforcement agency (although I’d argue the same rationale would apply to NCIS: Origins since it was called NIS in 1991).
And yet, this woman who ran into Michael Weatherly makes a good point: if what you’re looking is a show about Tony and Ziva, then why overcomplicate the title? This is an NCIS franchise show, and for those who liked watching Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo’s character together for eight seasons, they know exactly what this spinoff has to offer. It’s simple and gets the job done. Weatherly didn’t say if this fan managed to change his mind, but I’m definitely in agreement with her.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva will follow the title characters going on the run in Europe to figure out who’s targeting them after Tony’s security company is attacked. Unlike every other NCIS show before now, the spinoff will not air on CBS, instead streaming exclusively to those who have a Paramount+ subscription. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on what we can expect from the series.