Is there any aspect of fandom more precious and also wildly dedicated to its focus than shipping? People who become fans of not only certain franchises/shows, but specific potential or actual romantic pairings within, do nothing if not ride long and hard for their favorite fictional relationships. So, when it was recently announced that the long off-screen NCIS ship of Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David are getting their own series, folks went crazy. And, now that Tony’s portrayer, Michael Weatherly, has posted about the spinoff, Tiva fans have shared their thoughts.
What Did Michael Weatherly Say About His NCIS Spinoff And How Did Fans Respond?
Honestly, seeing as how news about the straight-to-series Tony and Ziva spinoff for those with a Paramount+ subscription is only a few hours old as of this writing, I think most fans are probably still pleasantly stunned. The couple hasn’t been together on screen since star Cote de Pablo took Ziva away from the flagship naval crime procedural (now in Season 21) at the start of Season 11, with Michael Weatherly retiring Tony in the Season 13 finale. The former Bull star took to X (formerly Twitter) to herald the coming of this new drama with a slightly sarcastic message that DiNozzo would definitely approve of:
So… that happened… https://t.co/fGkF4C1aSJFebruary 29, 2024
Yeah, Mr. Weatherly. That did happen! With word on the new show also came confirmation that this project was long in the works, with de Pablo and Weatherly's joint statement about it noting that they’d been “talking about this story for many years.” Obviously, Tiva fans are beside themselves with joy, and responded to the star’s social media post with a number of enthusiastic comments:
- Michael…. When I Tell You I Am In Tears I’m Not Joking…. I Am So Excited… Thank You For Making This Happen.. Sending All Love From Ziva (My Cat) And Me
- Is there a NCIS Season 21/22 introductory episode in the works like how you guys introduced the other spinoffs. Just curious. Love to see Tony, Ziva, and Tali all together in a mothership episode.
- WE’RE GOING TO SEE TIVA AS PROTECTIVE PARENTS KEEPING THEIR DAUGHTER SAFE. AND TALI REFERRING TO HER PARENTS AS HER PARENTS — IE “DADDY”/“ABBA” and “IMA.”
- THEY'RE GONNA CALL EACH OTHER MOM & DAD (MAYBE EVEN IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES)
- I have 100% faith that Michael and Cote will do right by the characters, and do right by us as Tiva fans. I have faith that they’ll give us what we want — properly — because they know how important it is to us.
- ?!?!??!??!?!??!?@?!??!?!
Some things to notice? The amount of ALL CAPS responses was pretty significant, meaning that fans are absolutely surprised and completely ready for this one-time will-they-won’t-they pairing to come back into their lives and deliver more action-packed bickering and bantering. Really, though, that last comment might be my favorite. Someone was literally speechless over the spinoff news but still felt the need to post about it, guys!
Though de Pablo brought Ziva back for a spell in 2019 (when the big reveal was made that she wasn’t dead after all), and we recently saw Weatherly reprise Tony for the special NCIS episode that honored Ducky and the late David McCallum (who played the character for the entirety of the show’s run), whenever Ziva and Tony make their first appearance together it will be the first time fans have seen them at the same time in a little over a decade.
The new series, which has no official title just yet, is set to begin filming later this year, and will see the couple on the run in Europe with their daughter, after Tony’s security company is attacked. So, I’m sure there will be plenty more good news coming in the weeks/months ahead for Tiva fans the world over!
