NCIS season 17: Should Ziva, Tony be seen later this season?

This past episode of NCIS served as a powerful farewell to the four-episode Ziva arc — or, technically five, if you count the season 16 finale. The character got some closure on Sahar, Phineas was found, and she now has a chance to reunite with her family. Before than happened, though, she had moments with a number of team members — something that there wasn’t all that much time for with her original departure.

Yet, as fantastic as much of this was, it was hard to watch without being distracted by the notion of a Tony – Ziva reunion. So much of the story was built on the premise that eventually, the two would be reuniting and Tali would be there with Tony to greet her. That may still very well happen (it should), but it’s looking to happen offscreen.

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Do the writers know viewers wanted that moment? We have to assume so, but there was a big hurdle the entire time in making it happen: Michael Weatherly being on Bull. It’s far more difficult than we can even say to get an actor from one show to appear in another while both are in production at the same time. Can it still happen? Sure, as evidenced by Lou Diamond Phillips appearing on Blue Bloods last night while being a series regular on Prodigal Son. Yet, Phillips isn’t the lead on Prodigal Son like Weatherly is on Bull, and there was no cross-country travel in his appearance on two shows. For Tony to return to NCIS, Michael would have to find the time to both fly across the country and also do work on the show. That’s almost impossible to do, especially during the week. If you film at some other time, then there are extra costs associated with it along with greater logistical challenges.

What we’re saying here is simple: It’s a tough situation to make happen. But, that doesn’t mean it will be tough forever.

The best-case scenario for the future of Tony and Ziva on NCIS could be this: Getting both Cote de Pablo and Weatherly together for an event at the end of the season, take either the finale or the one before it. NCIS films a little later in the spring than Bull does, so there could be a little pocket of time where Michael could be available. Then, it comes down to if Cote can return, scheduling it, and making the story happen. It’d be hard to stage a proper reunion scene unless you did it in a flashback, but is that better than nothing at all with the two of them? Sure.

As of right now, though, nothing is confirmed or even rumored. It’s all mere speculation, but it’s worth storing in the back of our head as we progress deeper into the season.

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Do you want to see Tony and Ziva together on NCIS this season?

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This article was written by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.