#NCIS Boss Reveals Whether Ziva Could Return Again

Ever since Cote de Pablo exited NCIS back in 2013, fans clamored for her return as Ziva David.

Fans got their wish in 2019 when Ziva popped up and stuck with the show in a recurring capacity until earlier this year.

The return took fans by surprise, mostly because they thought the ship had sailed on a comeback from the fan-favorite.

Now, months after Ziva got some semblance of a happy ending, the question remains about whether she could return to her old stomping grounds again.

According to TV Line, however, there are currently no plans to bring de Pablo back for an encore.

EP Steve Binder said the following to the outlet:

“It’s always going to be, ‘Let’s not grab Cote and stick her in.’ It’s, ‘Let’s come up with a story first, and see if it’s something worthy of bringing that character back.’”

We’ve really played, for now, all of the cards there are to play [with Ziva], so we have no plans at the moment,” he added, before stressing, “but we’re certainly always open to it.”

If you watch NCIS online, you know the creative minds behind the series crafted a solid story to bring the character back into the fold.

Many shows botch big returns, bringing the characters back merely as a marketing ploy to get viewers who have bailed on the show to return.

While Ziva’s return helped send the ratings soaring for the veteran CBS drama series, there was a meaningful plot behind her return.

Her story was incomplete when de Pablo left the series back in 2013, and fans were left unfulfilled after spending almost a decade getting to know the character.

On the casting front, we know that NCIS is losing Maria Bello in the coming episodes, but we should probably rule out an NCIS Season 18 return for Ziva.

The series is set to have a short episode order this season due to the pandemic.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think Ziva should come back?

Hit the comments.

Catch NCIS on Tuesdays at 8/7c on CBS.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.