After months of pondering and a call-out for fan suggestions, Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo have come up with a name for their upcoming “NCIS” spinoff featuring Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David.
Wait for it…
It’s “NCIS: Tony and Ziva,” the duo announced in a bubbly joint Instagram reel video Tuesday.
“It makes it really easy, because the fans will know exactly what the show is,” De Pablo said in the video. “It’s about Tony and Ziva. I expect intrigue, romance, the background of Europe, impossible situations that will make our lives very complicated, but somehow a little something about love!”
Weatherly, 55, had posted a call for suggestions on his X social media account, which were at least considered in the video.
“NCIS: Europe” was shot down quickly. But “NCIS: Trust No One” at least got De Pablo, 44, thinking, “That is a really good one.”
The duo will reprise their fan-favorite “NCIS” roles of Tony and Ziva (the couple known to fans as “Tiva”) for the couple-centric spinoff coming to Paramount+. Both actors will be executive producers for the series which will begin shooting around Europe this summer.
Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo have a name for the their “NCIS” spin-off.
The new series picks up as Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter Tali in Paris. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they go on the run across Europe to figure out who’s chasing them.
No actress has been cast for the tween Tali role. Paramount+ has not yet announced when the show will hit the streamer.
Tali was introduced as a toddler in the 2016 “NCIS” episode “Family First.” That’s when Tony learned Ziva, a former spy for Isreal’s Mossad intelligence agency, had quietly given birth to their daughter years prior (De Pablo had left “NCIS” suddenly in 2013).
Ultimately, the couple will be looking to “finally have their unconventional happily ever after,” the duo said in a joint statement announcing the show in February.
Why was ‘NCIS: Hawaii’ canceled?
The positive “NCIS: Tony and Ziva” news comes on the heels of the May 6 Season 3 finale of “NCIS: Hawaii” − which became a series finale following the show’s April cancellation announcement.
It marked the end of the first “NCIS” franchise with a female lead starring Vanessa Lachey as Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant. “NCIS: Hawaii” is the third “NCIS” franchise to end following two much longer runs, including “NCIS: Los Angeles”(14 seasons) and “NCIS: New Orleans” (7 seasons).
CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach explained the surprise cancellation to reporters on May 3.
“It is incumbent on us to always keep the schedule fresh, keep momentum going. We had to make some really tough choices this year,” Reisenbach said. “Ultimately we have to look at the cohesiveness of the schedule flow. We have to evaluate the financials and the performance overall, and we make tough decisions.”