NCIS: Everything We Know About The Tony DiNozzo & Ziva David Series

When "NCIS" debuted in 2003 (as a spinoff of "JAG"), no one could've predicted it would become one of the most successful franchises on television. Sure, it had a shot at longevity being a law enforcement procedural at a network, CBS, that knew how to develop them (as evidenced from their expanding "CSI" brand). But a series that lasted 23 seasons (and counting) while spawning six spinoffs (to date)? Not even series creators Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill could've seen this coming.

22 years later, the "NCIS" franchise is on the cusp of introducing what might be its most highly anticipated new series thus far. Even if you're only a casual "NCIS" fan, you know all about Senior Field Agent Tony DiNozzo and Special Agent Ziva David. As portrayed by Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo, the "NCIS" duo, called "Tiva" by fans, struck up a flirtatious working relationship which, in classic television will-they-or-won't-they fashion, eventually got consummated. When de Pablo exited "NCIS" in 2014 due to her displeasure with the direction of her character, the writers seemed to decisively put an end to Tiva by killing off Ziva. But, also in classic television fashion, the writers found a way to resurrect her for a brief return several seasons later.

At its height, the Tiva combo was considered by prominent media outlets like Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide to be one of the medium's most irresistible will-they-or-won't-they pairings. With more and more people discovering the palpable chemistry of Tiva via syndicated reruns and streaming, a spinoff seemed inevitable. We've known for a little over a year that NCIS: Tony & Ziva is coming our way, but with Weatherly sharing the news that shooting on season 1 has wrapped, fans' anticipation for the series has reached a fever pitch. So while everyone waits for the premiere, let's walk through everything we know about the show.

Tony and Ziva first met in season 3 of "NCIS" in a two-part episode titled "Kill Ari," but fans (and the actors) agree that Tiva first became a thing with the "Under Covers" episode later that season. When Tony and Ziva are given an assignment that requires them to be husband and wife, they emphatically follow through on the directive right down to a big ol' kiss that has a little more heat behind it than either party might've expected. Because Ziva was still working for the Israeli intelligence organization known as the Mossad at this point, the opportunity for an interoffice romance was nil.

This changed in a major way during season 7, when Ziva quit the Mossad and joined NCIS. This is when The Tiva slow burn threatened to catch fire in an episode where Tony and Ziva are accidentally booked in the same hotel, which came freighted with tension due to Tony having killed Ziva's previous boyfriend in the line of duty. The two manage to keep it professional, but from this point forward it felt like it would only be a matter of time before they hooked up. The only question was how long would the writers make viewers wait?

That's a question that was never definitively answered. It seemed clear that Tony and Ziva were more than just friends by Season 10, but the series never showed them actually getting together. When Ziva was killed off after de Pablo's departure, the relationship appeared to have been resolved tragically and sans consummation. Then the writers sprung a surprise on viewers, and Tony, in season 13, had a now two-year-old daughter with Ziva.

We later learned that Ziva faked her death to protect Tony and their daughter, and were assured in season 17, when she left the show again, that she was now going to live with the two loves of her life in Paris (the city where they absolutely, positively did not hook up in season 7). And that's where we left Tiva ... until now.

While fans were overcome with emotion to know that Tony, Ziva and their daughter would be reunited in Paris, they also had a sneaking suspicion that "NCIS" hadn't told its last Tiva story. After years of rumors, the "NCIS" faithful are going to get to spend serious quality time with Tiva in "NCIS: Tony & Ziva." But how is an entire series built around the duo going to work? All we know right now is that the spinoff show will send Tiva on the run after Tony's new company is attacked. The series promises to be an action-packed affair that will also deal with Tony and Ziva's trust issues because, as fans know, these two haven't always been straight-up with each other. Aside from that, we've no idea what to expect in terms of narrative.

The Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo reteaming will be worth the price of admission for most "NCIS" fanatics, but the rest of the cast is shaping up to be fairly interesting. Isla Gie ("Foundation") will be playing the 12-year-old Tali (what is it with these people and four-letter names). James D'Arcy, who's probably best known for playing Edwin Jarvis in the MCU (though he's been brilliant in other films, like "Cloud Atlas") will be portraying an Interpol agent named Henry. Other cast members include Amita Suman, Lara Rossi, Maximilian Osinski, Nassima Benchicou, Julian Ovenden, and Terence Maynard.

Television veteran John McNamara, whose credits range from "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." (starring the legend Bruce Campbell) to "The Magicians," is onboard as the showrunner of the 10-episode series. McNamara earned acclaim for his screenplay "Trumbo," which was turned into a 2015 film starring Bryan Cranston (who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor as the blacklisted screenwriter of the title), so he's got a different gear than many showrunners possess. Mairzee Almas directed at least two episodes of the series, and is an interesting hire as well considering that she's worked on big-budget fantasy/sci-fi shows like "The Sandman" and "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters." This sounds like it's going to look a little different from your typical "NCIS" show. They got to shoot in Europe, so expect some big-time production value.

Weatherly and de Pablo are both executive producers, and it's interesting to note that they're the only people with "NCIS" experience among the producing crew. The other EPs are McNamara, Almas, Laurie Lieser, Shelley Meals and Christina Strain.

Weatherly was asked this very question by a fan on Twitter, and he answered, "It's like UFO's, ... I know more, but I can't tell you yet because of top secret blah, blah, blah." Since this is a Paramount+ show, it's not like the other "NCIS" series, where you could count on a September or January debut. It's probably safe to expect a 2025 premiere, but for now we just don't know. As soon as the "NCIS: Tony & Ziva" gatekeepers release more information, we'll pass it along to you!