NCIS Season 24 will be coming soon on the 2026 TV schedule, and the excitement is palpable. That's because Michael Weatherly is set to return as Tony DiNozzo for at least a chunk of the new season following the cancellation of NCIS: Tony & Ziva on Paramount Plus. Unfortunately, he will be without his better half when he comes back. Not to worry, though, as we finally have an update on Ziva’s whereabouts.
When fans last saw Tony (and Ziva) in the season finale of the spinoff last year, the former NCIS agents had just gotten back together after a tumultuous ride, raising their daughter, Tali, together. Now, when Tony returns for NCIS, he will be in DC to expand his private security company until a case draws him back to the orange walls of the organization.
In the CBS series, he will be flying solo, but executive producer Steven D. Binder told TV Insider that the couple’s relationship is still being tested in the upcoming season. Namely, "can they be together without killing each other?" Stay tuned:
Loving each other was never an issue. The problem has always been, can they be together without killing each other? And that’s the question that still needs to be answered. In our universe, Tali is now a few hours away in boarding school, and Ziva is there with her. Whether or not her path will cross with our agents in D.C. is still an ongoing question — but rest assured, her presence will definitely be felt!
As a fan of Tiva, I was more than happy when a spinoff focusing on the two characters was announced, and was even more devastated when it was canceled. I had hoped that when Weatherly was announced to be returning for NCIS, Cote de Pablo wouldn’t be too far behind. It sounds like there aren’t any plans to bring her on just yet, but I am curious to see where things stand between her and Tony following the events of the spinoff.
Of course, Tony and Ziva’s relationship has been a roller coaster ever since Ziva was introduced in Season 3. That roller coaster continued in the spinoff, and it seemed like they were finally in a good place in the finale. With Ziva and Tali apparently just a few hours away when Tony’s in DC, hopefully we’ll be seeing them again. If anything, it also sounds like we’ll be getting plenty of updates on where the characters are at.
Meanwhile, even though we now know he will be in DC to expand his security company, fans were theorizing what else could be bringing Tony back into the fold. Since NCIS has yet to bring in someone to replace Rocky Carroll’s Director Leon Vance, some people have been wondering if Tony will be stepping into those shoes. I would be more than happy if he returned full-time AND became the new NCIS Director. That might be a stretch since he seems content with his security company, but a girl can dream.
Luckily, fans won’t have to wait too long to see what Tony is up to. The Season 24 premiere of NCIS airs on Tuesday, October 6 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day with a Paramount+ subscription, where coincidentally, you can always catch up on Tony & Ziva, as well.
