Ahead of its production, Michael Weatherly reveals new details about Tony and Ziva’s NCIS spinoff. Ducky’s tribute episode marked the return of Tony DiNozzo to the universe, years after the actor exited the police procedural. His cameo was brief — not nearly long enough to satiate the interest of viewers who missed him in the show. Apparently, the appearance was only Tony’s re-introduction to NCIS, as he would come back full-time in the beloved franchise thanks to his upcoming expansion series with on-screen partner, Ziva David.
In celebration of NCISVerse: The First 1,000 special (via TVLine), Weatherly offers new details about the upcoming show. He has been active on social media, expressing his excitement over the project and, in turn, hyping up the public about it. In his latest revelations, he says that the primary filming location for Tony and Ziva’s NCIS offshoot is in Budapest, although they are planning to shoot in other places. Meanwhile, the couple’s daughter, Tali, will already be in her tweens. Tony and Ziva are “trying to raise their tween daughter and save the world,” which makes it an interesting mix of storylines.
Because of how popular the original show is, CBS strategically grew its universe by launching several spinoffs over the years. Opening other satellite branches has been the network’s standard operating procedure for the longest time, but in 2024, they are changing their approach by being more creative with their storytelling. Mark Harmon’s NCIS: Origins will tackle Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ early days at Camp Pendleton. Meanwhile, Tony and Ziva’s series will be more serialized than its peers. That means that every season will deal with a single case, similar to Criminal Minds: Evolution format.
Secondly, Tony and Ziva’s NCIS offshoot will be on Paramount+ instead of the franchise’s usual broadcasting partner, which is CBS. Its first season will have significantly fewer episodes than other NCIS shows, which allows it to spend one whole year on just a singular case. Aside from the format, being on streaming will also have an impact on Tony and Ziva’s NCIS spinoff’s narrative. Since it won’t be on traditional network, the writers have more creative leeway when it comes to how dark and gory its stories will be.
The question now is if Weatherly and Cote de Pablo will make an appearance in the mothership series anytime in the future. With both now involved in the NCIS universe, it won’t be difficult to reincorporate them back into Special Agent Parker’s team, especially with both Tim McGee and Jimmy Palmer still there. Ideally, Harmon’s Gibbs will also be involved.
Source: TV Line