I’m Thrilled Tony Is Returning to NCIS, But I Can’t Help Mourning NCIS: Tony & Ziva

Going into NCIS: Tony & Ziva — the long-gestating spinoff featuring Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David — I expected it to be too little, too late.

After watching the entire season, I found myself conflicted about whether I even wanted more, because additional seasons would inevitably put the couple through the emotional wringer all over again.

Still, the foundation was there for them to work through their issues finally, and they did exactly that, with their daughter Tali along for the ride.

NCIS: Tony & Ziva took a more serialized approach to the franchise, and it genuinely felt like it was built for streaming.

It also feels like the kind of show that would have thrived on CBS in the summer, when broadcast TV traditionally goes quiet, and viewers are looking for something more character-driven.

Instead, we got it on a different platform, and just as quickly, it was gone.

I started to miss NCIS: Tony & Ziva almost immediately, so I was genuinely disappointed when it was canceled.

That’s why the news of Michael Weatherly returning to NCIS for a season-long arc is both exciting and complicated.

I still watch the original NCIS out of habit, even now.

The Original NCIS Has Grown Stale

While I think it found new energy with Gary Cole stepping in after Mark Harmon’s departure, it hasn’t hit the same emotional highs for me as the earlier years.

Tony’s return is interesting because it could reshape the long-term future of NCIS leadership and the franchise’s direction.

But it also raises an obvious question. What happens to Ziva and Tali?

I find it difficult to separate Tony’s story from theirs. We’ve already had years of Tony without Ziva and Ziva without Tony, and the spinoff finally corrected that imbalance.

Bringing him back into NCIS without them risks undoing what the spinoff just established.

I don’t have much hope that Cote de Pablo will return alongside him, especially given how the announcement was handled. If she were involved, it likely would have been kept under wraps.

So I’m expecting Season 24 to bring Tony back to U.S. soil through some big event, with no clear sign of Ziva and Tali alongside him.

And if that’s the case, the explanation better be airtight. We’ve already seen too many versions of this character separated from the people who define him.

The NCIS: Tony & Ziva finale left them in a hopeful place, finally choosing to rebuild their relationship after everything they went through.

After that, I don’t think I can accept them simply drifting back onto different continents off-screen.

Maybe that’s where the show lands, but it would feel like a step backward rather than a continuation.

Tony and Ziva work best as a unit, and after everything the franchise has put them through, they’ve earned the right not to be pulled apart again.

Even if the TV gods disagree, that’s where I stand.

That said, I also understand why NCIS would want Tony back on the flagship series.

He’s one of the most recognizable characters the franchise has ever produced, and there’s a natural curiosity about how he fits into the current NCIS landscape.

There’s also the very real possibility that his return isn’t just nostalgia but a way to bridge into whatever the show’s next era looks like.

That’s fine in theory. I don’t want it to come at the expense of what Tony & Ziva finally built.

Because once you’ve spent that much time putting a broken family back together, breaking it apart again feels like a step in the wrong direction.

What are your thoughts on the situation, NCIS Fanatics? Are you happy to have Tony back, even if it risks ruining what NCIS: Tony & Ziva built?

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.