NCIS Officially Reveals What Happens To Ziva In Season 24

Published Sep 13, 2026, 9:29 AM EDT

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After many theories, Tony Dinozzo Jr. explains Ziva's standing in NCIS season 24.

In a few weeks, CBS will debut its revamped NCIS Super Tuesday lineup. While the last two hours of the block will look a little different, its opening hour will be maintained by the flagship, proving that even after all of these years, it remains as the franchise's biggest release. After several years of finding its identity on the heels of Mark Harmon's departure, NCIS season 24 appears to mark the near-end of that process, as CBS leans on nostalgia to wrap up this period.

After a decade away from MCRT, Michael Weatherly is coming back to NCIS as Tony Dinozzo Jr. for a season-long arc. The project will see him work with his old team for an unspecified new threat, which somehow ties to his attempt at opening a satellite office of his successful security firm in Washington DC. This makes for the perfect explanation for Dinozzo's NCIS season 24 involvement despite the events of NCIS: Tony & Ziva, but Cote de Pablo's character won't be with her.

Before the new cycle begins, a new promo for NCIS season 24 (via @NCISTivaFans/X) reveals the official explanation for Ziva's fate. As Dinozzo shares with Timothy McGee and Nick Torres, his partner is in Boston to keep an eye on Tali, who's starting boarding school. Watch the whole clip below:

It was previously confirmed that de Pablo won't be part of Dinozzo's NCIS return, at least this season. This, understandably, dismayed so many fans, who were looking forward to seeing the pair return to Navy Yard. While both have come back to their former workplace since their respective exits, they have not done this together, so theres' still no payoff to their slowburn romance in a way that feels important, with regard to the story setting. Dinozzo does say in the aforementioned clip that if they ever need Ziva, she's not far too off.

Considering the confirmation that Ziva won't be in NCIS season 24, it's safe to assume that whatever the team will be facing throughout the year could be handled by the people already on-site. Several times in NCIS: Tony & Ziva, de Pablo's former Mossad agent made it clear that her priority is taking care of her daughter, which made so much sense, given everything that she has been through since giving birth to Tali. Unless showrunner Steven D. Binder's plans change drastically as the year goes on, there's a high chance that they are sticking to only having Dinozzo around.

What's beyond NCIS season 24 is currently uncertain, however. With Dinozzo's security firm opening a branch in Washington DC and Tali being a short plane ride away up north, it's possible that the franchise's first love pairing will spend a lot of time along the Northeast Corridor of the country. This makes it easier to bring them back anytime that the story calls for it. For now, CBS's fall 2026 schedule will be focused on reintegrating the now Very Special Non-Agent into the procedural.

NCIS

6/10

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  Sean Murray

  Timothy McGee

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  David McCallum

  Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard