I know it’s unrealistic in most of their shows, but I’m so glad the Tony and Ziva spinoff will dump this tired NCIS franchise tradition after 21 years. The official cast was released for NCIS: Tony & Ziva, and with it, the vision of the show is taking form. The Tony & Ziva story includes a vital twist from their NCIS histories: they are now parents. The cast consists of the first young person in a leading role in the NCIS franchise, an opportunity in rare circumstances unlikely to be repeatable but that I am excited to see play out.
The agents put the NCIS franchise in uncharted territory by telling their story. Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo will reprise their roles in a first for the franchise. It will be the first NCIS series to rely solely on serialized storytelling, rather than reset each week in the franchise’s case-of-the-week format. It’s wise that the franchise is trying something different in that regard. The series will also be the first to stream exclusively on Paramount+, whereas NCIS season 22 will air on CBS. The titular characters are breaking barriers and will challenge another vital element of the NCIS formula.
The NCIS: Tony & Ziva Cast Does Not Include A Medical Examiner
There Is No Ducky Equivalent In NCIS: Tony & Ziva
The NCIS: Tony & Ziva cast is official, and one of the most compelling details to me is the departure from franchise norms in that it does not include a medical examiner as a regular cast member. The medical examiner is an appointed official who investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, performs autopsies, and is trained in pathology. Instead, the cast will feature multiple high-ranking Interpol officials and Tony and Ziva’s tween daughter, Tali. The absence of some form of a post-mortem professional is a significant departure from many of the NCIS spinoff show’s casts.
Each NCIS team had some iteration of a doctor who could investigate dead bodies. The original NCIS series had Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, later replaced by Dr. Jimmy Palmer, with both serving as the team’s chief medical examiner. NCIS: New Orleans had Dr. Loretta Wade as a medical examiner and Sebastian Lund as the team’s forensic scientist. The NCIS: Sydney characters include a forensic scientist and retired Navy medic, Roy Penrose. NCIS: Hawai’i had Carla Chase, the team’s medical examiner, leaving NCIS: Los Angeles as the only spinoff that didn’t have someone to investigate a dead body.
What The Absence Of A Medical Examiner Means For The NCIS: Tony & Ziva Story
The Agents Will Be On The Run And Investigating Fewer Deaths
I’m interpreting the absence of a medical examiner in NCIS: Tony & Ziva as a signal the agents will come across fewer deaths requiring investigation. Instead, the doctor the cast introduced is Dr. Lang, a therapist. The actors said the story would revolve around trust, and I find a mental health professional better suits that core theme. While there is still much room in the narrative for action and investigation, the show’s synopsis teased that Tony and Ziva are going on the run. A medical examiner would also have to travel with them to be of significant use. (via Deadline)
The casting signals that there will be fewer dead bodies to investigate, at least not regularly, and I don’t hate the idea. The limited series will follow a serialized storytelling format that will carry over from week to week, rather than the case-of-the-week setup. Most of the spinoff series begins with a crime, often a death, and an investigation ensues regarding the dead body on the NCIS autopsy table to move the narrative forward. The very nature of the NCIS franchise necessitated a medical examiner or forensic scientist until the Tony & Ziva spinoff.
Why Medical Examiners Have Been Vital To The NCIS Narrative In The Past
Police Procedurals Typically Rely On Murders And Homicides
Medical examiners have always been vital to the NCIS narrative, which has, in the past, relied on murder and homicide to tell its story. Up to this point, the nature of the franchise has relied on an episodic, case-of-the-week format. The format depends on a crime at the beginning of the episode to give the characters something to do, and that crime almost always involves murder, homicide, or an attempt at such. Understandably, it’s warranted for the show’s narrative, and I’m guessing that’s what some people tune in for, but I’m excited about a spinoff that revolves around it less.
That would make NCIS a little easier to watch, albeit sometimes a murder investigation is the whole point. Still, sometimes I want to sit down and watch NCIS while eating lunch or dinner simultaneously, but seeing the dead bodies without warning throughout the episodes can cause me to lose my appetite. Don’t get me wrong, the narratives are engaging, but I want to see more complex crimes involving spy themes, like espionage and undercover work. Tony and Ziva have offered that in the original series, like when Tony and Ziva went undercover in NCIS season 3, episode 8, “Under Covers.”
Why The Tony & Ziva Spinoff Can Depart From A Death-Centered Narrative
The Tony And Ziva Story Will Center On Trust And Family
The absence of a medical examiner will allow the Tony and Ziva spinoff to depart from death as a central theme. While death can factor into life at any time, and that will undoubtedly be a part of the Tony and Ziva story, I interpret this as a sign that NCIS: Tony and Ziva will rely less on death to drive the narrative. This makes sense because the story will focus on a different stage of the human condition – parenthood – rather than death. It’s refreshing that the NCIS franchise has an opportunity to explore themes outside what’s typically centered on.
While Tali will likely have a complex relationship with the subject of death, her life no longer revolves around her mother’s mortality
The Tony and Ziva stars teased Tali’s reaction to all the complex things in her life, saying that trust will be a central theme in NCIS: Tony & Ziva. Whereas death was a central theme in Tali’s life while she was growing up, thinking that her mother was dead during her formative years, what’s vital now is trusting the adults around her. While Tali will likely have a complex relationship with the subject of death, her life no longer revolves around her mother’s mortality, giving the series another reason to leave death in the past.
Maybe it’s going too far to say that the absence of a medical examiner equals fewer dead bodies. Still, I believe the Tony & Ziva spinoff will strike a different tone. The series is already rewriting the NCIS playbook regarding what fans could expect. It’s the perfect opportunity for the franchise to test the waters, putting tradition aside to experiment while transitioning from network programming to streaming. NCIS has heavily relied on themes of murder, death, and violation in the past. I couldn’t be more excited that it will delve into something more positive, albeit no less complex.