NCIS Season 21: Michael Weatherly May Have Confirmed The Return Of Cote De Pablo’s Ziva

Cliff Lipson/CBS
By Mike Bedard/March 19, 2024 8:30 am EST

“NCIS” Season 21 brought back a hugely important original character for the Ducky tribute episode, which honored late cast member David McCallum, as Michael Weatherly returned to reprise his role as Tony DiNozzo for the episode’s closing moments. Weatherly commemorated Tony’s “NCIS” return by sharing a behind-the-scenes photo, so it’s clear he enjoyed his return to the procedural, but he followed that up with another social media post that could have even greater ramifications for the future of the series.

Weatherly did an Instagram live session, which was later reposted by TikToker @sophdinozzo, in which the actor shared, “As Brian Dietzen knows, there is going to be a surprise Cote de Pablo thing, but I am not allowed to talk about it, and Brian has been a part of it. I think it’s going to blow people’s minds because she does not do this stuff.”

Referring to it as a “Cote de Pablo thing” is pretty vague, but it does hint that de Pablo may reprise her character of Ziva David on “NCIS” at some point. It sounds like Dietzen, who plays Jimmy Palmer on the series, will be involved somehow as well, perhaps interacting with Ziva for her big (potential) return. And fans may not have to wait too much longer because Weatherly concluded, “Cote will be making an appearance. I tease that she will be making an appearance very soon.”

Cote de Pablo’s return could set up the Ziva and Tony spinoff

Ziva David with Tony DiNozzo
Sonja Flemming/CBS

It’s understandable that Michael Weatherly might be aware of a prospective Cote de Pablo return to “NCIS.” The pair’s characters got a “happily ever after,” living in Europe together to raise their daughter. Of course, Tony DiNozzo managed to make it back to the States to honor Ducky, but now, there’s a good chance Ziva David could make a similar trip.

The timing couldn’t be better: it was recently announced that there will be a Tony and Ziva “NCIS” series, with Weatherly and Pablo returning to their respective roles. The show is tentatively called “NCIS: Europe,” and it’ll eventually make its way to Paramount+. Tony is already at the forefront of fans’ minds, and there’s a good chance that Pablo’s return to “NCIS” could be used to set up the new show to an extent. Maybe a future episode will even serve as a backdoor pilot of sorts so that fans know to tune in to Paramount+ down the line to see what the couple gets into next.

Pablo’s return to “NCIS” could answer many fans’ questions, like why Ziva didn’t return with Tony initially. The couple might be in a spot of trouble across the pond, and — especially since they have a child together — things could get precarious quickly. Ziva may need Jimmy’s assistance for her own case, which might make some “NCIS” fans finally sign up for a subscription to Paramount+