Summary
NCIScould uphold a fascinating 21-year franchise trend with its upcoming Tony and Ziva spinoff. Thenew series will reintroduce flagshipNCIScharacters Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo)sometime in late 2024 or early 2025. Filming is scheduled to begin in summer 2024 in Budapest and other locations around Europe. The spinoff’s timeline provides an exciting possibility forNCIS: Tony & Zivato overlap with the flagship, which is scheduled to return in the fall 2024-2025 TV cycle following its renewal forNCISseason 22.
With a franchise as expansive asNCIS, showrunners are able to orchestrate creative ways to utilize their cast of characters, and it could lend itself toTony & Ziva’s story. It’s common forNCIScharacters from one show to be featured in another, with omnipresent characters like Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) competing for theNCISfranchise recordof appearing in the most shows within the franchise. More than a possibility,it would feel natural for Tony and Ziva to cross over with the flagship seriessince that’s where their characters originated.
15 Essential Tony & Ziva NCIS Episodes To Watch While Waiting For Their Spinoff
Here’s 15 essential Tony & Ziva NCIS episodes to watch while waiting for the spinoff for Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly’s characters.
NCIS Should Launch Its Tony & Ziva Spinoff As A Backdoor Pilot
And It’s A Serious Possibility
One of the most exciting possibilities for the Tony and Ziva spinoff is that it could be launched in the flagship series. It feels obvious that the characters should return toNCIS, since that’s where they both got their start. Michael Weatherly was with the cast from its origin and Ziva joined the franchise inNCISseason 3. To draw attention to the new series and bring back fan-favorite characters to the main series,NCISshould launch its Tony and Ziva spinoff as a backdoor pilot.
While the show has already received the green light, it could still mimic the technique to draw attention to the show, withNCIS: Tony & Zivastreaming on Paramount+. Launching the limited series on CBS would uphold the trend of backdoor pilots for the franchise, which has seen a number of their other shows advertised successfully. In a recentTVLineinterview,NCISco-showrunner Steve D. Binder humored the idea of setting upTony & Zivaon the flagship series:
You know, that’s been a long-running creative process, going through several incarnations of things…. Let’s put it this way, I would love to. I would love to do that, and I don’t speak for Michael [Weatherly], but I have a feeling Michael would be up for anything like that. So, we’re all for it.
If the Tony & Ziva spinoff decides to go in this direction, it wouldn’t be too surprising since DiNozzo made a surprise NCIS return in NCIS season 21. Michael Weatherly also seemingly confirmed that Cotede Pablo would return inNCISseason 21earlier this year after his appearance on the flagship. When de Pablo failed to appear in the previous season, it made the chances of her return to the main series inNCISseason 22 all the more likely.
NCIS Started As A Backdoor Pilot On The Legal Drama Jag
The Original NCIS Is A Spinoff Itself
The flagshipNCISitself started as a backdoor pilot on the television seriesJag.The Navy-themed legal drama lasted for 10 seasons, which is substantial, butNCISoutlasted the original show. The backdoor pilot was a two-part feature inJagseason 8, episodes 20, “Ice Queen,” and 21, “Meltdown.“The episodes introduced keyNCIScharacters Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), Anthony DiNozzo, Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), and Dr. Mallard (David McCallum), who would all go on to star onNCIS. The characters returned whenNCISlaunched its opening episode:NCISseason 1, episode 1, “Yankee White.”
NCIS Continued The Trend Launching NCIS: Los Angeles And NCIS: New Orleans On NCIS
NCIS Launched Its First Two Location-Based Spinoffs With Backdoor Pilots
NCISpassed on the trend with its own spinoff shows:NCIS: Los AngelesandNCIS: New Orleans. The backdoor pilot forNCIS: Los Angelestook place inNCISseason 6, episodes 22, “Legends Part I,” and 23, “Legends Part II.“The spinoff introduced key characters fromthe cast ofNCIS: Los Angeleslike G. Callen (Chris O’Donnell), Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah), and Sam Hanna (LL Cool J), as well as the Los Angeles Office of Special Projects. The series' launch marked the first spinoff show forNCIS, which witnessed highly trained agents going undercover and working with advanced technology.
NCIScontinued the trend when it introducedNCIS: New OrleansinNCISseason 11, episodes 18, “Crescent City Part I,” and 19, “Crescent City Part II.“The episodes introducedthe cast ofNCIS: New Orleans, with Scott Bakula as Dwayne Cassius Pride, the Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans field office. The spinoff aired for seven seasons, but ultimately, it was the firstNCISseries to end in 2021. The same year, CBS launchedNCIS: Hawai’ibut opted not to present it with a backdoor pilot. Likewise,NCIS: Sydneypremiered in 2023 without any exposition on the flagship.
NCIS Tested Another Spinoff With The Backdoor Pilot For NCIS: Red
But The Spinoff Wasn’t Picked Up For Its Own Show
WhileNCIS’backdoor pilot method is a tried-and-true test of what will work for the franchise, it’s also a proven way of weeding out what won’t work. There’s oneNCISspinoff that’s not often talked about, and that’s because it didn’t get picked up after its backdoor pilot on the Los Angeles-based series.NCIS: Redwas tested inNCIS: Los Angelesseason 4, episodes 18, “Red,” and 19, “Red 2.“NCIS: Redmarked a fourth-generation spinoff for the franchise, as it was launched fromNCIS: Los Angeles, which was a spinoff of the flagshipNCIS, which itself wasJagspinoff.
NCIS: Redintroduced characters likeParis Summerskill, portrayed by Kim Raver, who was Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Red Team.The backdoor pilot also introduced John Corbett as former NCIS Special Agent Roy Haines. The Red Team was one of several mobile units for the NCIS, each given a color to identify their team. If the series had been picked up, Raver would have been the first female lead of an NCIS team in one of the franchise’s spinoffs. That honor now belongs toVanessa Lachey ofNCIS: Hawai’i.
If the franchise launchesNCIS: Tony & Zivain their flagship series,NCIScould revive a tested 21-year franchise tradition. It would be the perfect time to continue the trend since Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David got their start on the flagship series and have ties to some of itsmost importantNCIScharacters: McGee and Jimmy. TheTony & Zivacharacters reuniting with Sean Murray and Brian Dietzen would be enough to call them back to the flagship. The narratives could also overlap, with the David-DiNozzo team seeking assistance from the Major Case Response Team.
NCIS
Cast
NCIS is a television series that follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Premiering in 2003, the show explores various cases involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, ranging from murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines.
