Thank God Ziva Isn't Coming Back In NCIS
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As beloved as Ziva David is, it's all for the better that she isn't returning in NCIS season 24. After a period of instability and identity crisis, the TV institution is having its best year in a while as part of CBS's fall 2026 lineup. With just around a month after it premiered for the cycle, NCIS has already set up several storylines that are poised to drastically change the future of the series, including the return of Michael Weatherly Tony Dinozzo Jr., who has been chosen to be the late Leon Vance's agency replacement.
In light of the events of the short-lived NCIS: Tony & Ziva on Paramount+, the former Very Special Agent's comeback understandably came with questions about Ziva's own homecoming. Unfortunately, it has already been confirmed that Cote de Pablo isn't involved in NCIS season 24, although she is actively being brought up to ensure that her ties to Tony and the agency are properly established. Considering everything that has been revealed about what's happening in the franchise as a whole and her history, however, there's a strong argument that excluding Ziva from this year's NCIS cycle is for her own sake.
Ziva Is Better Off Not Involved In Gibbs' Current NCIS Crisis
Understandably, there's continued interest in seeing Tony and Ziva in all of their full romantic relationship glory in Navy Yard. After all, NCIS has never been able to do that, considering that much of their proper relationship happened outside the iconic orange walls. Neither CBS nor the people involved have shared why exactly Pablo isn't coming back — at least in season 24. That said, whatever the case may be, it's better for Ziva's overall arc that she isn't actively participating in whatever is happening in the franchise in light of Mark Harmon's ongoing crisis as Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
As the centerpiece of NCIS: Origins season 3's story thus far, Old Gibbs' return to civilization is tied to a bigger mystery that wants him and another one of his allies dead. The case has already brought him back to Navy Yard to reunite with Tony, now as the director of the agency, and Ellie Bishop, who will accompany him on the ground. That said, long-time followers of NCIS would know that if Ziva is around, she will also get involved, and that is one thing that her character arc absolutely does not need. Even if Gibbs objected or forbade him, there's no way that she would let him run around without her help.
Old Gibbs and Ziva are connected by trauma and tragedy, after she killed Ari to save him. They met on the heels of Kate Todd's death in NCIS season 2 and became very close throughout their time working together. The last time that they were together, Gibbs paid that debt by killing Sahar, allowing Ziva to finally get back to her family and live a peaceful life. NCIS: Tony & Ziva revealed that it wasn't quite for her to get used to just being a mother and partner after all those years on the ground, but the end of the Paramount+ spinoff revealed.
Now, she's in Boston, looking over Tali and working on a non-law enforcement job, and considering how she pushed for her partner to take over Vance's vacated spot, it sounds like she's finally able to settle into a quiet and happy routine. Getting involved in Gibbs' current crisis, especially since it appears like the conspiracy is bigger than just an aggravated past foe, would likely undo this progress. After everything she has gone through, she deserves the quiet life that she had long dreamed of.
Why NCIS Still Needs To Bring Back Cote De Pablo's Ziva
While Ziva not being around during this whole Gibbs debacle goes down is a good thing, this doesn't mean that NCIS should keep her in the sidelines. CBS is already asking viewers a lot when they introduced this long-distance set-up for Tony and his family, in light of everything that they went through during NCIS: Tony & Ziva. Beyond that, De Pablo deserves to have her own homecoming like Weatherly, even though it doesn't mean that she will rejoin the cast as a series regular. Long-time flagship viewers are also owed the gift of seeing Tony and Ziva come full circle in Navy Yard.
The challenge now is to find a way to bring back De Pablo without giving her character another issue to solve. She has been through so much in her life and NCIS cannot continue defining the character by tragedy. It has been over two decades since she debuted in the show, and it's unfair that every time she comes back on the screen, she is saddled with yet another problem — all on top of her extremely complicated personal narrative while being part of MCRT. Ziva deserves happiness and there are ways to get her involved without another tragedy.
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NCIS is a television series that follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Premiering in 2003, the show explores various cases involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, ranging from murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines.
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NCIS: Origins
- Release Date
- October 14, 2024
- Network
- CBS
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Austin Stowell
Leroy Jethro Gibbs
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Kyle Schmid
Special Agent Mike Franks
NCIS: Origins is set in 1991, preceding the events of the original series. The series introduces Leroy Jethro Gibbs as a new special agent at NCIS Camp Pendleton. Under the leadership of NCIS legend Mike Franks, Gibbs navigates his role within a tenacious, unconventional team.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.