NCIS Super Bowl Trailer Reveals More About Special Ziva Episode

Did you catch the Super Bowl last night? Were you paying attention when CBS aired a super quick NCIS ad? Although a fast commercial, the ad does reveal that longtime fan-favorite Ziva will factor into the plot of an upcoming episode. If you missed it, be sure to take a look below.

Ziva left NCIS way back in Season 11, with Cote de Pablo saying she left due to her character not receiving the storylines she felt Ziva deserved. The character was well-liked by fans and I suppose it was only a matter of time before she factored into the plot of the long-running drama again.

The trailer kicks off with a notation from the narrator who states that we may have believed Ziva’s story is over, but “now the biggest NCIS secret of all” is expected to be revealed. If you remember way back to DiNozzo’s last episode, Tony DiNozzo became a single father to Tali and the character of Ziva was actually killed off of the show in a final way some time after her initial exit. So, how is this possible?

Well, bringing the character back on the series would need to be via flashbacks or something like the plotline that is being teased for NCIS Season 16.

If you’ve been keeping tabs on NCIS the mystery in question teased in the trailer will have to do with a missing persons case from a decade prior that Ziva had kept tabs on before her untimely death. Here’s what’s officially to come during this week’s episode:

After a malnourished and confused 9-year-old is found hiding in a storage unit, NCIS reopens an old missing persons case when the girl is believed to be the daughter of a Navy recruit who disappeared 10 years ago. Also, Bishop discovers notes that Special Agent Ziva David kept on the case long after NCIS officially stopped investigating.

The new episode is called “She.”

After 16 years in the game, NCIS has gone through a lot of casting changes, losing popular actors like Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo, Pauley Perrette, Sasha Alexander and more. It’s taken some twists and turns in its narrative, but the core fans still remember the days when the original cast produced a tightly woven story each week. It’s no wonder NCIS and CBS might want to tap into that sort of nostalgia. We'll just have to wait and see if the use of Ziva in all of the promos leading up to "She" will really be justifiable. Provided the big secret and the tie-ins are satisfying, it should be a memorable episode.

NCIS is currently running on CBS on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET. The popular series has some competition at midseason this year and you can take a look at what else is coming to TV and streaming with our full midseason premiere guide.

Jessica Rawden
Managing Editor

Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.