NCIS has been no stranger to significant cast turnover in its long history, sometimes leaving viewers wondering if the show could sustain itself without some of its most integral stars. Arguably, the most shocking shake-up to the cast cameo when Cote de Pablo’s Ziva left NCIS. From her first appearance, Ziva was a big part of the franchise, making her departure all the more heartbreaking for longtime viewers.
It hit fans of the long-running crime series hard when CBS announced Ziva would be leaving the highly successful NCIS. Details on why the character was written out were never fully confirmed, but quotes from de Pablo and a lack of confirmation from production have led to conflicting rumors. An upcoming NCIS spinoff will give fans more insight into Ziva’s relationship with Tony DiNozzo.
Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on June 18, 2025: Ziva David is officially set to return to the NCIS franchise in the upcoming spinoff, Tony & Ziva, which premieres on September 4. This comes more than a decade after Cote de Pablo left the original NCIS series in 2013. What was behind her decision to leave the series, and what’s next for Ziva? This article has been updated to include additional information about Ziva’s character arc in NCIS and to adhere to CBR’s current formatting guidelines.
Who Was Special Agent Ziva David on NCIS?
Ziva David First Appears in Season 3
Ziva David’s first NCIS appearance was in the Season 3 premiere as an agent of the Israeli Mossad. She was introduced in a tumultuous time on NCIS, shortly after Sasha Alexander’s Caitlin Todd had been suddenly killed by Rudolf Martin’s Ari Haswari in the Season 2 finale. Things were slightly awkward because, as it turned out, Ziva was Ari’s half-sister. But it didn’t take long for Ziva to declare her allegiance to the right cause, shooting Ari to save Gibbs.
After that, Ziva became a liaison officer between her father, the director of Mossad, and NCIS’s Director Jenny Shepard. She served in that role for four years throughout three seasons. She then returned to Mossad but was captured in Somalia while on assignment before Gibbs, Tony, and McGee rescued her. Following this traumatic experience, she resigned from Mossad and became a probationary NCIS agent and a US citizen. Ziva’s time at NCIS finally came to an end in Season 11.
Ziva, Tony, and McGee resign from NCIS to protect Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs from a dangerous political vendetta. However, unlike Tony and McGee, Ziva chose not to rejoin the agency when the issue was resolved. Instead, she returned to Israel and was supposedly killed offscreen in Season 13 during an attack on her father’s farmhouse. Viewers later learned that Ziva and Tony had a daughter named Tali. After finding out the news, Tony also chose to leave NCIS.
Why Did Ziva Leave NCIS?
Cote de Pablo’s Ziva Left After Season 11
In a 2013 interview with TV Guide, Cote de Pablo indicated that she left NCIS because of a personal issue: “As far as my decision to leave, that’s a personal thing, and I’d rather leave it at that.” However, in a 2016 Q&A about her departure, she told a different story, which involved how her character would be treated in the future. She noted, “They were going to send [Ziva] back to Israel and assemble her an unfortunate, miserable woman. I said, ‘What do I leave all the women that are watching and following the show?’ And I didn’t think it was fair. So, I said, ‘Unless someone can really write something fantastic for [Ziva], I won’t go back.'”
Even with all that, fans still don’t have a complete answer as to why Cote de Pablo left NCIS after Season 11. However, some cast members, including David McCallum, were markedly disappointed by her sudden choice to leave. Regardless, fans were unhappy with how Ziva was written off and clamored for a cameo appearance for years. Still, for many years, Ziva was completely absent from any of the shows in the NCIS universe, killing any hopes for a return — that is, until Season 17.
When Does Ziva David Return To NCIS?
Her Surprise Return Comes in Season 17
While NCIS had spent many years claiming that Ziva was dead, a shocking twist in Season 16 revealed that the character had actually faked her own death and was still active somewhere in the shadows. Finally, six years after her departure and apparent offscreen death, Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David returned in the Season 17 premiere “Out of the Darkness.” In a four-episode arc broken up throughout the season, Ziva teamed up with her old colleagues at NCIS, including Gibbs and McGee, in an attempt agents to find the individuals who had attempted to kill her just before she went underground.
Ziva must once again embrace her history as a ruthless assassin to defeat the enemy hunting her down. But first, she must regain the trust of her former colleagues who, despite being glad to see that their old friend is not dead, are wary of trusting her after she lied about her fate for so long. Eventually, she can convince them to help her in tracking down the mysterious “Phineas,” who seems to want her dead.
Ziva’s final appearance comes in the eleventh episode of Season 17, entitled “In the Wind.” Therein, she, Gibbs, and the NCIS squad make one last stand against Phineas. However, it is revealed that the true mastermind behind the scheme to kill Ziva is actually Sarah Johnson, a seemingly innocent civilian who was secretly the terrorist Mira Sahar Azam — and Phineas’s mother. With the help of her old team, Ziva kills Mira before she accomplishes her mission, finally freeing the former NCIS agent to live in peace once more. Ziva takes the opportunity to reunite with Anthony DiNozzo and their daughter, Tali, once more, although this tender moment occurs offscreen.
The Timeline for Tony & Ziva Is Finally Confirmed
The Series Picks up After Ziva’s Return
Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo are officially returned to the NCIS franchise for a spinoff series starring Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David. Details are still sparse on the upcoming series, Tony & Ziva. Even so, audiences are excited to finally catch up with their favorite crime-fighting couple, years after they withdrew from the original NCIS series. Although Ziva is confirmed to have reunited with DiNozzo after her return in Season 17 of NCIS, the two characters haven’t been onscreen together in over ten years. DiNozzo and Ziva also have a daughter, Tali, whom they are still raising in Paris.
Picking up right where they left off a decade ago, the upcoming series will see the couple on the run after Tony’s security company is attacked, blending the action genre with family themes that will make the spinoff distinct in the expanding NCIS franchise. The series could also explore Tony and Ziva’s backstories in greater depth, especially as the NCIS universe delves deeper into the past for other characters, including Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
Several cast members have already been confirmed for Tony & Ziva, including Isla Gie, who will play Tony and Ziva’s daughter Tali. Isla previously starred in the series Foundation on Apple TV+. Maximilian Osinski, who recently portrayed Zava in Ted Lasso, will also appear in the series as Boris, a talented computer hacker. The series could also see Tony and Ziva reunite with other fan-favorite characters who have departed the original NCIS series over the years. Audiences would be ecstatic to see Gibbs return for a cameo, especially if it meant that he could reunite with two of his top agents.
Pauley Perrette’s Abby Sciuto has also been conspicuously absent ever since her departure from NCIS in Season 15 and will be more than welcome in the upcoming spinoff. Other minor characters could also return, including Jennifer Esposito’s Alex Quinn or Emily Wickersham’s Eleanor Bishop. Even if none of these characters appear in the upcoming series, Tony & Ziva sets a precedent that could see NCIS bring back characters for their own spinoffs after departing the flagship show.
What’s Next for Ziva David?
Tony & Ziva Can Explore More About the Characters
With Ziva David returning for the new spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, the possibilities for her character moving forward are endless. So far, it is unclear if the upcoming spinoff will be a limited series or if the plan is to continue to follow Tony and Ziva for a multi-season story. Either way, this will mark the first time in years that NCIS has dedicated an extended amount of time to explore Ziva’s life since her departure in Season 11. As such, the new series can explain what Ziva has been up to since leaving the original series. This includes the missions she may have completed in that time and her adventures as a mother.
The first trailer for Tony & Ziva reveals that the two titular characters have become the latest targets of a mysterious criminal enterprise, perhaps in revenge for their actions when they were still NCIS agents. To protect their daughter, Tony and Ziva have to enter the high-stakes world of espionage once more, while also confronting their complicated relationship. Longtime fans of the characters’ romance may be pleased by the direction of the series, which could finally bring Tony and Ziva together after an extended will-they-won’t-they relationship. While the future is still mysterious, one thing remains clear: Tony and Ziva’s adventures are far from over.
