NCIS: Tony And Ziva: What We Know So Far About The Streaming Spinoff

Tony DiNozzo was one of NCIS’s first leading characters, being introduced with Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Abby Sciuto and Ducky Mallard in the JAG episodes that functioned as the show’s backdoor pilot. Following the death of Sasha Alexander’s Caitlin Todd in the NCIS Season 2 finale, Ziva David was introduced at the start of Season 3 and took her place on the team. For the next eight years, these two solved crimes together for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and now the time has come for these two to finally reunite in the appropriately-titled NCIS: Tony and Ziva.

This will be the seventh show in the procedural franchise that was launched in 2003, with the original NCIS spinning out of JAG. So what can we expect from Tony and Ziva’s long-awaited reunion on the 2025 TV schedule? Read on to find out!

What Is The NCIS: Tony And Ziva’s Premiere Date?

NCIS: Tony and Ziva will premiere on Thursday, September 4. The first three episodes will drop at once, and then episodes will be released weekly until the season finale airs on October 23. This will give the show some slight overlap with the other currently-airing NCIS shows, as NCIS Season 23, NCIS: Origins Season 2 and NCIS: Sydney Season 3 all premiere Tuesday, October 14 on CBS.

What NCIS: Tony And Ziva Will Be About

After faking her death and spending years in hiding, NCIS Season 17 saw Ziva finally becoming a free woman again after the woman who’d been targeting her was killed. After that mess was cleaned up, Ziva traveled to Paris to reunite with Tony and their daughter Tali, with the former only learning about the latter’s existence in the Season 13 finale. That’s where viewers will find them when NCIS: Tony and Ziva starts.

Unfortunately, it won’t take long for their lives to become a lot more complicated. After Tony’s security company is attacked, he and Ziva must go on the run across Europe to figure out who’s after them and, as stated in the official synopsis, “maybe even learn to trust each other again so that they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.”

Yes, despite all they’ve been through, the NCIS: Tony and Ziva trailer showed that the title characters aren’t romantically involved when the spinoff starts, instead focusing on co-parenting Tali. However, the preview also indicates the spark could reignite between them, and Cote de Pablo requested that Tony and Ziva get some kind of “happy something” by the end.

The NCIS: Tony And Ziva Cast Includes Michael Weatherly And Cote De Pablo

It would be bizarre if NCIS: Tony and Ziva didn’t star the two actors who originally played the roles, but we don’t have to worry about experiencing such an odd twist. Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo will respectively reprise Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David, marking the first time these characters have been onscreen together since the NCIS Season 11 episode “Past, Present, and Future,” which aired on October 1, 2013. That was de Pablo’s last episode as a series regular, and Weatherly exited the main cast in the Season 13 finale, “Family First.”

After being presumed dead at the end of Season 13, Ziva made a surprise appearance in the Season 16 finale, “Daughters,” and went on to recur throughout Season 17. Tony briefly popped back up again in the Season 21 episode “The Stories We Leave Behind” to attend the memorial service for Ducky Mallard. Although the NCIS showrunner once expressed interest in both Tony and Ziva returning to the show before their spinoff starts, there's nothing to indicate that's in the cards.

The Other Characters Expected To Appear In NCIS: Tony And Ziva

There are a lot of people joining Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo in NCIS: Tony and Ziva’s main cast.

Isla Gee as Tali

Starting off, following Michael Weatherly confirming Tali will play an important role in the spinoff, we learned that Isla Gee was cast to play her in the spinoff. Described as Tony and Ziva’s “precocious 12-year-old daughter who is sick of being treated like a child,” Tali is said to be “more intuitive and vigilant” than she’s given credit for by the adults in her life, and she welcomes the opportunity to prove this to her.

Lara Rossi as Sophie

Tali will be looked after by Lara Rossi’s Sophie, who served in the Special Air Service (SAS) and brings "maternal warmth and hyper-vigilance” to her role as the girl’s caretaker.

Amita Suman as Claudette

Amita Suman is playing Claudette, the Chief Technical Officer at Tony’s security company who ensures operations run smoothly and is skilled at solving problems and cracking codes.

Maximillian Osinski as Boris

Maximilian Osinski has been cast as Boris, a Russian ex-pat and one of the world’s best computer hackers who welcomes the anonymity and freedom that living outside the law gives him.

Julian Ovenden as Jonah

Julian Ovenden’s Jonah was once a computer programmer for the NSA, and is now the Secretary General of Interpol and is confident he knows how to fix a world he sees as broken.

Nassima Benchicou as Martine

Nassima Benchicou will play Martine, who used to work as a French intelligence agent with the Directorate-General for Eternal Security (DGSE), and can easily play both sides of a conflict to protect her own self-interest.

Terence Maynard as Dr. Lang

Terence Maynard has come aboard as Dr. Lang, an experienced therapist who, as said in his description, “treats patients with severe traumas and helps them find comfort and agency.”

James D’Arcy as Henry

Finally, James D’Arcy will participate in NCIS: Tony and Ziva as Henry, a high-ranking Interpol official who doesn’t have a wife or family, but that’s ok because he’s welcomed prioritizing his career.

The Series Will Be Exclusive To Paramount+

Unlike all the other NCIS shows that come before it, NCIS: Tony and Ziva will not air on CBS. Instead, it will be exclusive to watch with a Paramount+ subscription, the same streaming home where the other shows can be accessed.

While speaking with Vulture, George Cheeks, the president and CEO of CBS, and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+, said the reason NCIS: Tony and Ziva is being sent straight to Paramount+ rather than airing on CBS first boiled down to two reasons. One, it “felt more like a serialized streaming show,” and two, it’s an “example of us trying to expand the aperture of NCIS,” like what was done with Criminal Minds: Evolution.

As such, NCIS: Tony and Ziva is taking full advantage of a TV-MA rating rather than sticking within TV-14 like the other NCIS shows. We already know that there will be some sexy scenes in the spinoff, as Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo talked about declining an intimacy corner on set. TVLine also shared that we’ll hear Ziva swear, and I’m hoping that includes some f-bombs.

Will Other NCIS Characters Show Up In The Spinoff?

In March 2024, Deadline asked CBS Studios president David Stapf if there was a “possibility” if other NCIS characters could appear alongside Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo in NCIS: Tony and Ziva, and he responded, “In all honesty, as it’s designed now, no, but never say never.” So don’t expect any special NCIS appearances in the spinoff during this inaugural season.

As things currently stand, NCIS: Tony and Ziva has only been planned as a 10-episode miniseries, with showrunner John McNamara saying that he was “excited to tell a single, serialized story of intrigue and espionage over 10 episodes.” However, if the spinoff ends up performing well, the possibility of it getting more seasons is reportedly “very high.” If that happens, then the possibility opens up for folks like Mark Harmon, Sean Murray, Brian Dietzen or Rocky Carroll to stop by (Pauley Perrette reprising Abby Sciuto seems less likely since she retired from acting).

However, looping in Murray, Dietzen and Carroll could be problematic scheduling-wise, given how many episodes the flagship show films each season. Plus, if NCIS: Tony and Ziva were to continue filming abroad, then it’d be a harder process to fly out these familiar faces for a guest appearance, though the fans would undoubtedly be appreciative of that extra effort. To provide an even deeper NCIS cut, de Pablo once expressed interest in having Rudolf Martin reprise Ari Haswari, Ziva’s late half-brother, as a ghost or hallucination.

Keep your eyes on CinemaBlend for continuing NCIS: Tony and Ziva coverage as we approach the show’s premiere and as episodes drop weekly. Again, you’ll need to make sure you’re subscribed to Paramount+, one of the best streaming services, if you want to enjoy this addition to the franchise.