Will NCIS: Tony & Ziva Spinoff Include Original Show Cameos? CBS President Responds

Will Tony and Ziva’s NCIS spinoff feature original character cameos, a CBS executive responds. On the heels of Michael Weatherly’s NCIS season 21 return, his future back in the franchise has been confirmed with the announcement of his new expansion series with Cote de Pablo. Currently nicknamed NCIS: Europe, the series will see the couple on the run across Europe with their daughter, Tali, although it’s unclear what threat they are trying to escape.

Despite being on Paramount+, Tony and Ziva’s NCIS spinoff will still exist in the same reality as all shows in the franchise, which means that their old cohorts can pop up anytime in the project. Unfortunately, CBS Studios President David Stapf squashes any hopes of that happening based on the current status of the show in an interview with Deadline, saying: “In all honesty, as it’s designed now, no, but never say never.” For context, NCIS: Europe will have a more serialized type of storytelling instead of an episodic one — a format inspired by Criminal Minds‘ transition to Paramount+’s Evolution.

Why Tony & Ziva’s NCIS Spinoff Doesn’t Need Original Characters Yet

The NCIS franchise likes backdoor pilots. The mothership series was the launching pad of a couple of expansion series in the past, and that can also happen to NCIS: Europe. Recently, Weatherly teased Ziva’s return to the main NCIS show, with de Pablo’s character supposedly reuniting with Brian Dietzen’s Jimmy Palmer soon. Unlike Tony’s cameo, which happened towards the end of Ducky’s tribute episode, Ziva’s homecoming can help lay the groundwork for her show. If this is the case, then the spinoff itself won’t need any more cameos, especially since it will have fewer episodes compared to its network counterparts.

From a storytelling perspective, it’s also important that Paramount+ is able to focus on Tony and Ziva’s story first when establishing their show. As exciting as it is to think about the possibility of Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs coming out of retirement to help them or Pauley Perrette’s Abby Sciuto babysitting Tali, it may be too distracting to NCIS: Europe‘s real narrative, which is centered on the franchise’s first love line. NCIS already failed to properly execute their romance, now their offshoot has the opportunity to make up for that.

Assuming that NCIS: Europe is able to find its audience on Paramount+ in its first year, then the chances of a second season increase. By then, the project can take advantage of the perks of being part of an interconnected universe. With a foundation firmly laid out, Tony and Ziva’s NCIS spinoff can have a bit more fun with its storytelling by bringing back familiar faces from the pair’s past.