‘NCIS’: Beloved Character Will Return in Season 17 Premiere After Cliffhanger Comeback

The NCIS Season 17 premiere will elaborate on Tuesday night’s shocking return, with the actor already signed on to return to the show next season.

Spoilers ahead for NCIS Season 16 Episode 24 “Daughters”

The Season 16 finale featured the return of Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), a character long believed to have died, coming back to tell Gibbs (Mark Harmon) he is in mortal danger.

“Hello Gibbs. No time for pleasantries. You’re in danger,” Ziva said as she walked down the stairs to Gibbs’ basement.

After the pair stood quietly staring at each other, Ziva breaks the ice saying: “Well, aren’t you going to say something?”

Gibbs stays in shock and simply says her name before the episode ended on the game-changing cliffhanger.

NCIS showrunners Frank Cardea and Steven D. Binder released a statement to press after the episode, revealing de Pablo will be returning to the series in the fall to expand on the major cliffhanger.

“This surprise moment is just the beginning. We are thrilled to share that Cote de Pablo will guest star in the NCIS Season 17 premiere this Fall as Ziva’s warning to Gibbs unfolds,” the showrunners said in a statement.

While de Pablo is not signed on to return to the series as a regular, the exciting storyline will serve to appease fans who have been begging for Ziva to return to the show.

Ziva first exited the series in 2013, when she decided to leave the team and embark in a journey of revenge after her father was murdered. After killing her father’s murderer, Ziva left the team and the United States, leaving behind her love interest Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly).

The character was then killed off the show offscreen after a mortar attack in Israel in 2016. The twist set up DiNozzo’s exit from the show, who found out Ziva had given birth to their child abroad without telling him, and he decided to leave the team to raise baby Tali.

Ziva’s return could possibly give fans an update on Tony and baby Tali, if the team has time to catch up as they attempt to stop whatever threat is coming after Gibbs. Could Weatherly and the baby even make an appearance during the premiere? We can’t believe we have to wait until fall to find out what happens next.

How did you feel about the big Ziva twist in the Season 16 finale? NCIS will come back for Season 17 this fall on CBS.