While some TV fans might not want to see spinoffs from the same franchises, NCIS: Tony & Ziva is already proving how popular the title characters are before the show has even released a single episode. Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva (Cote de Pablo) both had long-running stints as agents on NCIS, but they left the series for good in 2016. Both characters have remained incredibly popular with fans of the franchise and are getting a spinoff series themselves after the franchise has already seen success with shows centered on a young Gibbs and a team outside of the United States.
Their spinoff is the first of the NCIS franchise to focus on a couple instead of an NCIS team. Other spinoffs in the franchise have simply focused on agents in new locations, but Tony and Ziva are both no longer NCIS agents, despite their ties to the flagship series. The new series will follow Tony, Ziva, and their daughter on a new adventure in Europe, and the series is already making a splash even though it has yet to debut.
NCIS Franchise | Years On Air |
|---|---|
JAG | 1995-2005 |
NCIS | 2003-Present |
NCIS: Los Angeles | 2009-2023 |
NCIS: New Orleans | 2014-2021 |
NCIS: Hawai'i | 2021-2024 |
NCIS: Sydney | 2023-Present |
NCIS: Origins | 2024-Present |
NCIS: Tony & Ziva | 2025 |
NCIS: Tony & Ziva Trailer Breaks Franchise & Paramount+ Records
Nearly 100 Million People Saw The First Trailer
It’s clear that fans of Tony and Ziva are eager to see the two characters on screen again. The first trailer for NCIS: Tony & Ziva has broken records for both the NCIS franchise and for Paramount+, the streamer that will house the series.
The trailer was originally released on May 5, and within a week of the release, the trailer accumulated 93 million views across the various release platforms, which included being broadcast on CBS, appearing on digital video sites, and being shared on social media (via Deadline). That’s a massive amount of views for a single trailer for a new television series.
Those views make it the most-viewed trailer for the first season of a Paramount+ original series. Of course, those views were bolstered thanks to airing the trailer on CBS, which is a surprising move since the series will not air on the network. CBS is the home of the rest of the NCIS franchise, though, so it makes sense that NCIS: Tony & Ziva would want to capture the eyes of the NCIS fans watching the network who might not yet subscribe to Paramount+.
In addition to breaking that Paramount+ record, it’s also notable that the series has the most viewed trailer of the entire NCIS franchise. Of course, the original NCIS franchise also debuted long before social media boomed, and the early spinoff seasons of NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Los Angeles did not have the same social media presence that the current spinoffs of NCIS: Sydney and NCIS: Origins do.
Why Tony & Ziva Remain Popular Characters Almost A Decade Since Their NCIS Story Ended
Tony And Ziva Balance Humor And Heart
The nature of a long-running procedural means there are going to be some cast changes. While Tony was one of the characters to originate NCIS in a backdoor pilot on JAG, Ziva was added to the series when Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander) was written out of the show. Fans might have been hesitant to accept the first major cast change, but Ziva became a fan favorite largely because of her mysterious past and her banter with Tony.
The dynamic between Ziva and Tony made for a great way to showcase the dramatic and humorous elements of the series. While Tony was often utilized as the comedic relief, and Ziva’s past made her the center of a lot of drama, the two also got to switch those roles when paired together. They balanced humorous and dramatic aspects of the show in a way that few other character pairings on NCIS have been able to.
Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo have a chemistry that made them a great will-they-won’t-they couple during their time on the show. The series made them partners on the job and continually pushed them closer to one another, pairing them up on investigations and showcasing their chemistry even when Tony and Ziva had other love interests. The show continued to build up the anticipation for them becoming a couple right up until Ziva was written out of the series as well.
Cote de Pablo’s brief return to the show for help came with the reveal that she and Tony had a daughter together, and that only intrigued fans more. There is so much unrealized potential for the two characters that fans just cannot let them go, even nine years later.
How NCIS: Tony & Ziva Can Pay Back Fans' Unrelenting Support To The Couple
The Series Can Actually Get The Couple Together
One of the unique aspects of Tony and Ziva as a couple is that they are not actually given much screen time to be a couple. NCIS: Tony & Ziva can remedy that and reward the fans who have been invested in the characters by actually showing what the two are like in a functioning relationship. While the series will still be an ensemble thanks to Tony's team at his security firm, the focus will be squarely on the title characters this time around.
Much of their romantic development in the original NCIS series happened off-screen despite all of the banter and clear feelings between the two. The reveal that Tony is the father of Ziva’s daughter even caught some fans by surprise. NCIS: Tony & Ziva will see how the two interact outside of the NCIS offices and as coparents, but not necessarily as a couple. The series should make sure to bring the two together, so fans can finally see their romantic potential fulfilled.
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Image via Paramount+
