The return of Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) in the highly anticipated Paramount+ spin-off, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, is the reunion fans have waited over a decade for. The new series, set primarily in Europe and focusing on the couple raising their daughter, Tali, while on the run from a global conspiracy, already promises the perfect blend of spy drama, romance, and Tiva banter.
However, the question that always looms large in any long-running franchise is: Will the original NCIS family show up?
In recent interviews promoting the new series, Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo have been refreshingly candid about their feelings toward potential cameos. While their story is intentionally geographically and narratively separate from the D.C. Major Case Response Team, the actors have revealed their ultimate dream NCIS guest star—a figure whose presence would instantly send shockwaves through the entire shared universe.
The Dream Cameo: Who is Tiva Waiting For?
For many fans, the immediate answer to the “dream guest” question would be Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) or Timothy McGee (Sean Murray). While those appearances remain highly desired, Weatherly and de Pablo have a slightly different, more strategic dream guest in mind: Abby Sciuto, the goth forensic scientist formerly played by Pauley Perrette.
While both actors have expressed deep love and enthusiasm for all their former co-stars, the recurring mention of Pauley Perrette suggests a unique narrative pull. The reason is simple: Abby represents the emotional connective tissue to the life Tony and Ziva left behind, and her presence would provide a much-needed grounding element amidst the European chase.
The Emotional Connection
Unlike Gibbs, whose solitary nature makes a European cameo logistically and thematically challenging, or McGee, who is now the busy Senior Agent and family man back in D.C., Abby has a unique, almost maternal connection to both Tony and Ziva.
- To Tony: Abby was Tony’s confidante, the person who saw past his class-clown facade to his genuine heart. Her friendship was a constant in his tumultuous career.
- To Ziva: Abby was the first to truly embrace Ziva as family, offering a warmth and unconditional acceptance that the former Mossad agent desperately needed.
A guest spot by Abby wouldn’t just be a fun cameo; it would be an emotionally rich moment. Imagine Tony and Ziva, framed for a crime and on the run, needing a clandestine assist with forensic evidence—a problem that only Abby’s lab genius could solve. Her appearance wouldn’t require her to be in the middle of a shoot-out; she could appear via a secure, encrypted video call or a brief, suspenseful meeting in an unnamed European city.
The Perfect Narrative Catalyst
Introducing Abby provides the most seamless and meaningful way to connect the spin-off’s plot to the original series.
- Forensic Necessity: Tony and Ziva are often thrust into impossible situations. Abby’s technical expertise could be the only thing that clears their names, making her guest appearance an integral plot point rather than a fan-service distraction.
- Tali’s Godmother: Given the tight bond between the Tiva parents and Abby, it’s highly plausible that Abby is Tali’s godmother. A cyber-attack threatening their daughter’s safety is exactly the kind of crisis that would compel Abby to step out of her comfort zone to help.
- The Light Moment: The high-octane chase in NCIS: Tony & Ziva is expected to be tense. Abby’s signature energy and gothic humor would provide a perfect, much-needed moment of levity and heart, reminding the couple—and the audience—of the warm, unconventional family waiting for them back home.
The Gibbs Question: The Elephant in the Bullpen
While Abby may be the dream guest for narrative harmony, the character that fans are clamoring to see is undeniably Gibbs. The paternal relationship between Gibbs and both Tony and Ziva is arguably the most foundational element of their careers.
Weatherly has spoken extensively about the enduring legacy of Mark Harmon’s character, and while an immediate appearance in the first season seems unlikely given the European setting, the door is certainly not closed.
The writers have set up a perfect scenario for a future Gibbs appearance: Tony and Ziva are framed and on the run from Interpol. They need to clear their names. There is no one in the NCIS universe whose judgment Tony trusts more than Gibbs’s.
A Gibbs cameo wouldn’t be a chase scene; it would be a clandestine meeting, a brief scene in a dimly lit, anonymous café where Gibbs provides one crucial, silent piece of intel, a word of advice, or simply an approving head-nod to his former protégé. That single, charged interaction would be the emotional climax of the series, reassuring the audience that the family ties remain intact, even with thousands of miles and an ocean between them.
Why Cameos Need to Serve the Story
Ultimately, what Weatherly and de Pablo appreciate—and what makes their vision for a guest star compelling—is the understanding that any appearance must serve the story of Tony and Ziva, not just the nostalgia of the franchise.
The new series is deliberately set on a streaming platform, Paramount+, allowing for a more mature and serialized narrative than the traditional CBS procedural. They’ve promised a focus on the romantic payoff that fans never got on the mothership, exploring the “missing years” and the trust issues Ziva’s faked death created.
Any guest star from the original cast must enter this already complicated, high-stakes family dynamic and elevate it. Abby’s unique skill set and emotional bond, or Gibbs’s unwavering moral authority, offer this narrative elevation better than a simple procedural team-up. The actors know that the focus must remain on the “adventure of a lifetime” that Tiva is on, and a guest star should act as a momentary, powerful boost, not a hijacking of the main plot.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva has the unique opportunity to build on its rich twenty-year history while simultaneously forging its own path. By hinting at a highly anticipated, character-driven cameo like Abby Sciuto, Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo are showing that they understand the assignment: give the fans the familiar faces they love, but only in a way that deepens the already magnetic story of Tony, Ziva, and the unique, unconventional family they fought so hard to build. The potential reunion, whether with Abby, Gibbs, or even McGee, remains one of the most exciting prospects for the ever-expanding NCISverse.
