NCIS Fans Think They Know Why Tony And Ziva Got Canceled (And I Think They’re Onto Something)

The NCIS franchise still seems to be going strong on CBS with the main show and a pair of spinoffs doing well with network TV audiences. However, in a move that was something of a shock, the Tony & Ziva spinoff, a show that fans had been clamoring for for years, has been killed after just one season. So what killed the show that so many had wanted? Fans have a couple of solid theories.

Did Tony & Ziva Just Take Too Long?

As mentioned, seeing NCIS characters Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David reunite is something fans of NCIS have wanted to see for a long time. That’s because it had been over a decade since Cote de Pablo left the show, splitting up the pairing. Many fans on Reddit think that part of the problem is that Tony & Ziva just came out too late, as the hype around the pair just wasn’t there anymore. Comments include:

• This would have been a great show 10 or 12 years ago.
• 10-12 years this story line would have made their ratings higher than any show ever. My dad/sis and myself got hooked on this show then it went to hell all cause the writers kept dragging it out then the actress who played Ziva thought she could go solo and found out she couldn’t and came back.
• I loved their chemistry on NCIS way back when but times have changed. NCIS was good when there weren't as many other better shows around. It was an excellent network tv level show.

Sometimes, when there is fan interest in something it never really goes away, but sometimes that interest will wane over time as those fans begin to realize what they want isn’t going to happen. Even if it eventually does happen, it’s possible those fans who really wanted it have simply moved on.

Does Your Mom Even Have Paramount+?

But there’s a second reason suggested by some that might be an even bigger reason that Tony & Ziva didn’t get the viewership it needed to continue, it may be that the audience literally wasn’t there. While Tony & Ziva likely required a Paramount+ subscription specifically to try and get people to sign up, the fact is that the core NCIS audience (read: older people) may have just not been willing, or even able to do that. Some on Reddit say:

• Yeah, and on network tv. The grandmas who loved NCIS don’t have Paramount+.
• My mother would have loved to see it, but she had absolutely no interest in getting connected to Paramount + for it. I suspect that’s true for a large portion of their potential viewership.
• This is completely true. My 75 yo parents visited me recently. They watched the whole season in one weekend. They have Paramount as part of their cable plan, but don't want to operate it. It's all set up on their smart tv.

If there’s one thing that has likely prevented the shift to streaming and away from traditional TV from being even greater than it’s already been, there is likely a technical hurdle for some to simply navigate a streaming service (or multiple streaming services) as compared to simply turning on a TV. It makes one wonder if Tony and Ziva had been on CBS and NCIS: Origins had been on Paramount+, would the fates of these two shows have been reversed?

Paramount+: from $7.99 a month/$59.99 a year
While not everybody may have a Paramount+ subscription, if you sign up for one you can you can still watch all of Tony & Ziva as well as the rest of the massive NCIS franchise.

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These are anecdotal stories to be sure, we can’t be certain that the reasons that a handful of people on Reddit give for the show’s failure are widespread, but it’s hard not to believe that these were at least significantly contributing factors.