NCIS: Tony & Ziva will break ground yet again now that a casting update confirms another significant first for the NCIS franchise. Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo will reprise their roles as the titular Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David characters. The essential NCIS characters hail from the flagship, with both having substantial stays on the original NCIS series. It’s been years since the agents have been on the NCIS small screen – and a decade since they were seen together. When they return to the franchise, Tony and Ziva’s story revival will feature a critical twist.
The announcement regarding the new spinoff came in early 2024, and with it, the Tony and Ziva spinoff promised exciting firsts for the franchise. For instance, NCIS: Tony & Ziva will be the first series to stream exclusively on Paramount+. NCIS and all its consecutive spinoffs aired on CBS. The spinoff has now unveiled another development that challenges the nature of the franchise – as much as the other firsts it offers, such as its serialized storytelling format or returning original characters.
The Tony & Ziva Spinoff Will Feature The First Child Lead For The NCIS Franchise
Isla Gie Will Play Tony And Ziva’s Daughter Tali
The official casting update confirmed one major first for the franchise: the NCIS: Tony & Ziva cast will feature a child lead. It may go without saying that this is a major first for the NCIS franchise, which typically casts adults in all the leading roles that fill out its police procedurals. According to Deadline, the Tony and Ziva spinoff has added Isla Gie to the cast as Tony and Ziva’s 12-year-old daughter, Tali. The namesake of Ziva’s deceased sister, Tali, is described as “precocious” and “more intuitive and vigilant than the adults around her give her credit for.”
Tali is the most essential character in the series after its titular characters. The Tony and Ziva spinoff wouldn’t be possible without Tali. She is pivotal to the narrative that was developed to facilitate crucial moments for the Tony and Ziva characters, and as such, she needs to return with them. As a pivotal element to Tony and Ziva’s story continuation, there was no choice but to include Tali.
Why NCIS Never Centered Child Actors In The Past
There Is Rarely An Appropriate Place For Them In The Police Procedural Genre
Featuring a child lead is a first for the NCIS franchise, and that’s mostly because there was no adequate place to center young people in the narrative in the past. While many child actors have appeared on NCIS throughout the years, including famous actors you forgot appeared on NCIS, the child’s role is typically ensnared in the episode’s central crime. For instance, Abigail Breslin was one of the most renowned child actors ever featured in the series. Her character was a small part of the narrative, despite a robust guest presence. Tali will be a regular feature.
The Tony and Ziva spinoff has a unique opportunity to tell the stories of NCIS agents while directly overlapping with parenthood.
Kids have been introduced into the NCIS narrative as relatives of NCIS agents and other essential NCIS characters. For inst ance, the daughter of FBI agent Tobias Fornell appeared in NCIS before Emily Fornell died of an accidental drug overdose. Similarly, Gibbs’ daughter was central to the NCIS narrative at times, but she had been dead for years. The Tony and Ziva spinoff has a unique opportunity to tell the stories of NCIS agents while directly overlapping with parenthood. It may be the only time the franchise has a reason to have a child as a regular cast member.
Tali Originally Appeared In NCIS Season 13 For Tony’s Departure
Tony Did Not Know He Shared A Daughter With Ziva David
Tali’s sole appearance in NCIS already had a massive influence on the narrative. The character was developed to pull Tony away from the MCRT and facilitate Michael Weatherly’s departure from NCIS, making her a vital thread in the NCIS tapestry. After the team is informed that there has been an attack on the David family home, it’s believed that Ziva is dead. Tony is torn apart over the loss of his former partner and friend, and amid his grief, it’s revealed there is one survivor. The survivor isn’t Ziva David, but her young daughter, Tali.
The director of Mossad comes to NCIS Headquarters to inform Special Agent DiNozzo that he is the child’s father, and delivers Tali to Tony. She assured Tony that Ziva was sure he was the only biological possibility for Tali’s father. The realization that Tony had responsibilities larger than himself was a touching moment for the agent and beautifully facilitated his departure. Later, after it’s revealed that Ziva is alive, Tali draws her back to Paris, where she reunites with her daughter, whom Tony has raised under the assumption that her mother was dead for several years.
How NCIS: Tony & Ziva’s Tali Focus Will Change The Investigations
Tali Will Place Restrictions On Tony And Ziva
In her official character description, Tali is described as intuitive, vigilant, and “ready to prove” herself. Many of the kids in NCIS are part of a narrative to challenge the adult cast members. In contrast, Tali is uniquely positioned to have considerable agency as a series regular. NCIS: Tony & Ziva’s Tali focus will inherently challenge traditional NCIS investigations because the titular characters will have to navigate complex and dangerous situations while protecting a child. Michael Weatherly eluded how Tali would transform their lives during a panel discussion at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Television Festival:
“their child is at the center of their preoccupations. In NCIS, our characters didn’t have one. So, they acted in a very personal way, according to their desires. When you have a child, you have to work out what’s best for them.” (via La Gazette de Monaco )
The Tony & Ziva cast includes British actor Lara Rossi as Sophie, “A highly skilled professional with a background in the Special Air Service” who “brings a unique blend of maternal warmth and hyper-vigilance to her role as a caretaker for Tali.” If a caretaker for Tali has been cast as a series regular, then it’s safe to say that the 12-year-old may not always be with them. The spinoff will undoubtedly have moments of action that allow Tony and Ziva to flex their entire gamut of skills as former agents. There are signals that Tali could also help investigate.
Tali has every right to appear in the Tony and Ziva spinoff; it wouldn’t exist without her.
The Tali character already has a significant status in NCIS lore. Tali’s introduction in “Family First” made it one of the best episodes of NCIS. There are many ways that the Tony and Ziva series is re-writing the NCIS playbook, and introducing a kid as a regular cast member is one of them. That said, Tali has every right to appear in the Tony and Ziva spinoff; it wouldn’t exist without her.