‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’: Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo Talk Spinoff’s Origins and ‘Dreamy’ Reunion (Exclusive)

NCIS: Tony & Ziva will finally be premiering in just over a week, and stars and executive producers Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo spoke to PopCulture.com about the new spinoff.

The series is set to premiere on Thursday, Sept. 4 on Paramount+ with the first three episodes.

It was first announced in 2024 that Paramount+ was developing a new spinoff centered on Weatherly and de Pablo’s fan-favorite titular characters from NCIS. The series marks the first time they’re on screen together since the beginning of Season 11 of the Mothership, and the wait has been worth it. Weatherly and de Pablo explained how long the spinoff has been in the works and the fans’ passion that ultimately led to a long-awaited reunion.

PopCulture: I know that a possible Tiva reunion has been teased for a while, especially by you, Michael, but how did the concept of this show come up?

Michael Weatherly: It’s so funny. We all have origin stories that are tricky. They’re all vaguely similar. It’s like the Bible. It’s like there’s a great flood, and then everyone pretty much agrees on that. There was a man who walked out of the desert with some knowledge. I like to think that the real seed of this show happened when we were still on the Mothership and I think it started with the fans, with fan fiction, and I forget what they call it when you when you ship something, because Cote and I, you know, we’re hired to play cops on a find the bad guy TV show with a rubber gun and a fake badge and a hat with a lot of letters on it. You’re running around, and it’s a job.

And when Cote arrived and Sasha Alexander left, and I had such a great time with Sasha, and I really am still friends with Sasha and love her, I was like, “God, how are we gonna replace Sasha Alexander? That’s a tall order.” And Cote and I found ourselves, like, so silly. We became fast friends and silly friends. And it showed on camera. While we were rolling, we would be messing around with each other in the squadron scenes. And so I think by the time we did our first TV Guide-ish cover, and it said Tiva or something. And they used the portmanteau of the characters. Do you remember that, Cote?

Cote de Pablo: Oh my god. Yeah.

Weatherly: I think that’s where this starts. I think Tiva starts with the fans shipping and all that stuff, which we weren’t even really aware of. And I remember doing press and being like, “Oh, yeah. If Tony and Ziva had a baby, it would be like some ninja assassin with movie quotes.” We used to make fun of the idea of this show. But at the core of every joke is this kernel of truth. Right?

de Pablo: Well, I don’t know if it’s that or it’s maybe the universe having ears and going, “Oh, I’m listening to you guys. You guys are putting it out there. It will happen.”

PC: Kind of going off of that, actually, what has it meant to you seeing just how passionate the fans are about Tony and Ziva after all these years?

de Pablo: I think that’s the most beautiful thing in the world. First of all, we never take it for granted every single time. I think I had one time that was kind of a weird exchange with someone. But for the most part, every single exchange has just been nothing but respect and love and, my God, all these questions about these characters. “Will you and Tony ever get back together?” and “Whatever happened to the child?” and “Where are you guys living?” and “Are you guys making it work?” and “What are you doing now?” and “What’s the character doing now?”

And all these questions that would follow-up every meet. So, as we’ve said before, I think the show was manifested for the fans. I think even the manifestation was coming from the fans, which really kind of pushed it forth because they really wanted it. So we were happy to rekindle that yet again.

PC: What was it like returning to these characters after so many years and working together again?

de Pablo: It was very dreamy. It was very nice. There are moments that I just look forward to going to the set every day. It didn’t matter how tired I was because Michael and I are revisiting these characters, but it’s also our baby. We’re executive producers. There’s a lot of unspoken things that we need to sort of manage, and we manage them quietly. We talk to each other, of course, but sometimes there’s not a lot we can do about things because we have to delegate.

We’re in front of the camera, and we have to make these scenes work. That’s our first and number one priority. But through it all, going to set was a dream knowing that I would have the great big luxury of working with my friend and my partner, which was so much fun. It’s also very palpable that we go back and we watch these scenes. And Michael, when they called me, I had not watched anything, and he said, “Have you seen it?” And I said, “No.” And he goes, “Oh, I think you’ll be happy.” And I said, “Well, how is it?” He goes, “Well, I have a word for you, but I’m not…” and I said, “Well, what is it?” He goes, “It’s kind of like a fairytale mode. It plays a little bit like a fairytale.” And I was like, “Oh my God. That’s such a word to use.”

So, of course, you throw that word to a person like me, and my mind spins. I immediately go into fairytale mode, which, by the way, that’s where I live constantly. So, it was very nice. It was very, very much a dream. We can only hope that we get another chance to play. That’s all.

Weatherly: You definitely start the series with “Once upon a time…”

The first three episodes of NCIS: Tony & Ziva premiere on Paramount+ on Thursday, Sept. 4, with new episodes dropping weekly.