NCIS has been running for so long (22 full seasons) with many place-based spin offs that it’s easy to forget how the flagship series began as a JAG spin off. Fans have also weathered the relatively recent death of David McCallum, who portrayed the beloved Donald “Ducky” Mallard, and countless other departures. Those include Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), who recently received a prequel series, NCIS: Origins, and next, the previously departed Special Agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) and “Very Special” Agent Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and will return in a joint spin off.

NCIS: Tony And Ziva (will we ever receive a reason why Ziva was cool with Tony’s name appearing first?) will re-team the couple who departed the series for separate yet connected reasons many years ago. Their enmeshed romantic and professional lives hooked viewers that couldn’t resist spreading “reunion” fan fiction across the internet, and let’s just say that those fans should not be disappointed with what has surfaced so far on this spin off.

Trailer

We might as well jump into this section first, and I really do wonder if Paramount’s writers enjoyed the fan fiction a bit too much? These two appear to have never missed a beat, and yup, tongues are firmly in cheek.

Plot

We cannot move on without acknowledging that the trailer has amassed 93 million views within the first two weeks since its debut. Those eyeballs arrived via CBS’ airing of NCIS‘ season finale, through streaming on Paramount Plus, and from scattered social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, and Facebook. And it’s no wonder why the trailer has resonated. Tony and Ziva are not only together but are still giving each other hell when Ziva isn’t catching air, which shows that the ex-Israeli Mossad agent hasn’t lost her physically imposing ways after only briefly returning NCIS during the 17th season before jetting to Europe, where she and Tony reunited.

NCIS: Tony and Ziva will begin up with the pair still living in Paris. Previously, both Weatherly and de Pablo also suggested that they will struggle with trust issues, which was bound to be the case after one side of a romance fakes their death for whatever reason. Ziva did, however, do so to save the lives of both Tony and their daughter, Tali. And although every moment might not be smooth sailing, the trailer revealed a largely lighthearted tone, despite how they must rescue a kidnapped Tali, and de Pablo previously noted that the “complicated” couple” will whirl through both “intrigue” and “romance.”

So presumably, they’ll get over the whole resentment thing because they must take care of business, as the synopsis suggests:

NCIS: TONY & ZIVA picks up after Ziva’s supposed death when Tony left the NCIS team to go raise their daughter. Years later, Ziva was discovered alive, leading her to complete one final mission with NCIS before she was reunited with Tony and their daughter in Paris. Since then—and where we find them in NCIS: TONY & ZIVA—Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter, Tali, together. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, try to figure out who is after them and maybe even learn to trust each other again so they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.

Will we see cameos in this spin off? The trailer has confirmed nothing, but putting other NCIS faces in Europe is probably a stretch. Also, Gibbs has gone fishing for good, and Pauley Perrette has sworn off acting, which means that Abby Sciuto will not be hopping on a jet to Paris. Yet don’t entirely count out Sean Murray (as Special Agent Timothy McGee) or Brien Dietzen (as Dr. Jimmy Palmer), since they’ve both expressed interest in hopping onboard the spin off for the hell of it.

NCIS: Tony And Ziva has been slated for a fall 2025 release with a precise date remaining mysterious.

Cast

The only actors who could portray Ziva David and Anthony DiNozzo, Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly, will be rejoined by NCIS veteran Emilia Golfieri Tali, who will now be 12 years old and, like her mother, be both intuitive and vigilant. This series also introduces several new characters:

– James D’Arcy as Henry, a seasoned Interpol official who is married to his job;

– Nassima Benchicou as Martine, an ex-French intelligence operative;

– Amita Suman as Claudette, the Chief Technical Officer of Tony’s security company;

– Maximilian Osinski as Boris, a hacker who is of course brilliant at flying under the radar.

Additional cast members include Julian Ovenden (as Jonah), Terence Maynard (as Dr. Lang), and Lara Rossi (as Sophie).

Release Date

NCIS: Tony and Ziva will arrive in Fall 2025. Want a more specific date? Join the club.