NCIS season 15: Michael Weatherly won’t rule out Cote de Pablo return

Is Ziva David still alive on NCIS? Obviously, it’s something that many people out there (ourselves included) would like to see. Yet, it’s also something that is far from guaranteed, given that Cote de Pablo did not return for the final episode with Michael Weatherly and it feels like it’d take heaven and earth to get her back at this point.

For one, in order for her to turn up, it makes sense to also have Weatherly’s Anthony DiNozzo there since there stories are so linked and he is now raising their daughter Tali. Weatherly is busy on Bull, and with those filming schedules so closely aligned, it’s hard to see him getting a chance to film anything more than a couple of scenes on NCIS before having to fly back out to New York to film his own show. From there, you also have to get Cote on board and come up with a story that gets her excited to return. That’s a lot of things to pull off, and there is no indication NCIS is going in that direction.

Still, Weatherly is keeping that door firmly open, saying the following to Digital Spy about the theories that Ziva is still alive:

“I would never say! Whether or not it’s in Bull or in some other iteration of an NCIS, I would say there’s always the chance of [a reunion with Cote] … She’s one of my favourite people. For eight years, we got to have a lot of fun. Certainly, in terms of chemistry, I’ve never had anyone like that rattle my brain!”

One of the big reasons we ascribe to the idea of Ziva still being alive is just that given how strong a character she was on NCIS (and even before that), it’s hard to envision scenarios where she would have allowed herself to be in danger. She’s also smart and resourceful enough to fake her own death. We like to think of a situation where she hides out for a year or two before starting to reintegrate into the world, creating a fake identity and then tracking down Tony and her daughter. You could almost make a spin-off series just about that search alone, have it last six or eight episodes, and then end it with Ziva finding Tony and getting that happily ever after. Film it off-schedule for Bull, and then air it on CBS during the summer. Okay, now we’re getting really off the rails with the fanfiction, but wouldn’t this be a fun idea? (Alas, there’s probably some site out there that’s now going to report what we just wrote as fact when we’re really just having a good time.)

Of course, Weatherly is open to seeing Cote stop by Bull, and we’ve already talked about that extensively.

How do you think Ziva could still be alive on NCIS? Be sure to share below! (Photo: CBS.)