One of the longest running television franchises is NCIS, with over two decades worth of characters, scenarios and experiences. The franchise had already amassed five offshoots with the September 4, 2025, release of NCIS: Tony & Ziva, bringing up the total to six spin-offs. The latest spin-off sees the reunion of two fan favorite characters, Tony and Ziva, for the first time since NCIS Season 11. The eagerly anticipated spin-off saw Cote De Pablo reunited with former co-star Michael Wetherly, as the pair of star-crossed lovers return to the small screen. This time they flee to Europe to find out who is trying to kill them, even as they try to protect their young daughter. Overall, the reception to the new spin-off has been positive and hopes are rising for a possible second season.
After 22 seasons of the CBS flagship series, NCIS, the show has remained a streaming hit and given that Tony & Ziva follows two beloved characters, audiences have responded by gravitating towards the new show. Tony & Ziva has also worked towards correcting some original mistakes made with Ziva the first time around as well. Series star De Pablo opened up on the chances of the show returning for a second season in a conversation with TV Insider, offering an optimistic update. De Pablo praised the first season and revealed both she, and co-star Weatherly, would be thrilled to revisit the characters if the show returns.
“I think we’d be lucky to play these characters for — look, I’ll say this: Season 1 was like a dream. It was so much fun to go back and revisit these characters. Where this goes, we know not. All we know is that we had to do this. Michael and I felt we owed it to the fans. And so we’re really happy about this just being able to happen. We manifested it. It came together beautifully. We had [showrunner] John McNamara leading this. He came up with a world that is beautiful. I mean, visually. You saw how beautiful the backdrop of Europe is and how it almost is like a character in itself, like how that backdrop is its own sort of romantic character that allows the story to so beautifully be played out. We’re just grateful that we got a chance to do it, and the rest is the rest. If we got a chance to do it again, we’d be thrilled.”
It is always a good sign when the leads of shows are interested in making a return. However, their interest alone will not be enough as an accompanying story has to be developed. Their persistent will-they-wont-they dynamic, the years spent apart and the erosion of trust offer quite a lot of material to work with. Given how well the show has performed since debut and with seven more episodes to go, there is a high chance of a renewal should the positive reception continue.
‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’ Will Pay Tribute to Harmon’s Gibbs
The first season of NCIS: Tony & Ziva plays out across ten episodes with John McNamara serving as showrunner. De Pablo and Weatherly both serve as executive producers on the show, with the spin-off signifying Weatherly’s first major series regular role since CBS’ Bull, which ran for six seasons between 2016 and 2022. One cannot speak of the NCIS franchise and not name-drop Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Showrunner McNamara previously discussed how the show will link the flagship and spin-off series, saying:
“Absolutely! It’s going to make them seem more realistic. There are name drops that come up. To me, I felt like we were setting the spike for that.”
New episodes of NCIS: Tony & Ziva premiere every Thursday on Paramount+ in the U.S.
