After Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) briefly returned for “NCIS” Season 21, it was only a matter of time before the Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) rumor mill started. However, this time, fans got even more than they could have hoped for when a new series — officially unnamed but tentatively titled “NCIS: Europe” – was announced, with both Weatherly and de Pablo returning as Tony and Ziva.
As it turns out, the “Tiva” couple won’t be dealing with just criminals, either. Their tween daughter Tali David-DiNozzo will be a prominent part of the show, forcing Tony and Ziva to juggle work and family life in a way that viewers haven’t seen from them. Weatherly shared the news on the CBS special “NCIS-Verse: The First 1,000,” which also revealed that the David-DiNozzo family starts the show in Paris but will end up on the run … while having to figure out a way to save the world. It’s still unclear who will portray Tali in the spin-off, but it’s probably fair to expect casting news sooner rather than later.
Ziva and Tony are going international
Tony and Ziva’s strange relationship has been something of a fan favorite, so viewers might be willing to watch them in a run-of-the-mill case of the week show. But from the looks of it, their spin-off is closer to an ambitious international espionage series — which is befitting for the return of the former Mossad agent. After all, Ziva’s half-brother Ari Haswari (Rudolph Martin) and her international connections often bring such elements during her early “NCIS” tenure, so it only makes sense that a show that puts Ziva front and center also handles its business Ziva-style.
Besides, “NCIS” already has its U.S. bases covered on the spin-off front. Another work in progress, a prequel show called “NCIS: Origins,” features key characters like Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon and Austin Stowell), Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), and Vera Strickland (Diany Rodriguez) at the early stages of their stellar careers. Combine these new shows with the current NCIS arsenal, and the CBS franchise seems set to become one of the more diverse TV universes.