A new NCIS spinoff (those seem to be in high demand these days) has been ordered into a series, and we’ll admit we have mixed feelings about this one. The spinoff is set to focus on fan-favorite couple Tiva, aka Ziva David and Tony DiNozzo. And hey, on the surface, that’s great, isn’t it? Everyone wants more Tiva!
We didn’t even get Tiva! Most of the Tiva on NCIS actually happened off-screen. They’ve been together off-screen. Ziva was presumed dead. Then she wasn’t! Then she had Tony’s kid off-screen! We had to learn about it after the fact! And so did he, but that’s neither here nor there. He didn’t even know Ziva was alive, either. But then she went and told him and that was it, endgame off-screen. Or so we thought.
Now we get to see it, and honestly, it feels like ship payback for all those years of promising fans something the show never got to deliver.
According to TVLine, the show will pick up with Tony and Ziva in Paris, where they’ve been raising their daughter together. “But when Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, trying to figure out who is after them — and maybe even learn to trust each other again? — so that they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.” And this sounds fine. No, it sounds kinda amazing.
It’s just …a decade too late. And it’s great that Cote de Pablo is coming back. So is Michael Weatherly. That part is …eh, is it great? We all remember what happened behind the scenes during Weatherly’s last show, right? CBS had to pay Eliza Dushku $9.5 million to settle harassment claims over comments Weatherly made.
But I guess all of that’s in the past and Tiva is coming back to deliver on years of promise, so we’re supposed to forget that? And trust that Weatherly has learned? And while we do that, we also have to trust that there’s enough awareness about the current political situation to not write Ziva David, an ex-Mossad agent, in a problematic way.
I’m not saying it’s impossible, it’s just a lot of trust. And trust in TV, well …that feels like it’s gotta be earned.
Weatherly and de Pablo said in a joint statement: “We’ve been talking about this story for many years, and now with John McNamara at the helm, we are ready. The world of Tony and Ziva (and daughter Tali) promises to be an action-packed roller coaster fueled by love, danger, tears and laughter.
“We also want to acknowledge and thank the fans from around the world who supported the ‘Tiva’ movement for years. To this day, they say hello in grocery stores and on the street to tell us how much these characters mean to them and ask what Tony and Ziva are up to now. This is for you!”
It’s a nice sentiment and all, but it doesn’t even come close to touching on the very real issues behind this NCIS spinoff. So until we get some answers on those we’re going to choose to be cautious about this NCIS spinoff. Even if it’s an idea that, a decade ago, would have made us over the moon with happiness. We’ve grown up now, and sadly …it’s just not the same.
