‘NCIS’: Ziva and Other Characters We Want to Return

NCIS will be airing a special episode Tuesday that will have fans looking back on one of their favorite characters.

During Tuesday’s “She”, the team finds a malnourished and confused 9-year-old in a storage unit, which reopens an old missing persons case when they start to believe she could be the daughter of a Navy recruit who disappeared 10 years ago. The case will take a turn when Bishop discovers Special Agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) kept working on the case long after NCIS officially stopped investigating.

The mysterious plot line has many fans wishing for de Pablo’s return, even if her character is believed to be dead. But could she come back in flashbacks?

Aside from Ziva, many beloved characters have come and gone from NCIS over the years. Take a look at the characters we want to return to the series.

Ziva David

De Pablo starred in the CBS crime procedural since Season 3 as Ziva. Her character became of the most prominent Israeli characters in the television landscape.

The actress left the show in the beginning of Season 11. Her onscreen departure was set in motion by the assassination of her father, which caused her to seek revenge. She left the team after killing her father’s murderer and chose to move back to Israel.

Her character was later declared to have been killed, which led to her love interest’s exit from the series.

Could we see some fresh Ziva scenes in tonight’s episode?

Anthony DiNozzo

Michael Weatherly was a series regular on the series from the first episode until he signed off at the the end of Season 13.

The now-Bull star’s character exited the series after the apparent death of Ziva David, which promoted him to leave the team in order to raise their daughter.

If Ziva resurfaces in Tuesday’s episode, could that lead Weatherly to reprise his role later this season? We miss Tony so we sure hope so.

Abby Sciuto

Pauley Perrette’s Abby has not been off the show for long, but we already want her to come back for a visit.

Perrette exited the series ahead of the Season 15 finale, when after surviving a shooting that left another member of the team dead, she chose to make his dreams come true by moving to U.K. to start a charity foundation in his name.

Since her exit left the door open for her to come back for visits, hopefully we can see Abby’s return sooner rather than later for a special guest appearance.

Caitlin Todd

Sasha Alexander’s Caitlin was the series’ first major cast exit and a traumatic one for fans, at that.

After asking to be released from her contract, her character was killed off by a sniper in the Season 2 finale. The killer ended up being Ziva’s half-brother.

Since we saw Caitlin die, it would be too much of a stretch to have Caitlin just waltz into the NCIS office. However, the character has made some appearances on seasons 3, 8, 9 and 12, so maybe she could return in a dream sequence at some point right?

Jenny Shepard

This is one of Gibbs’ exes that we just have to see again.

Since NCIS is unearthing secrets from the past, maybe an upcoming episode can finally reveal to the team that Lauren Holly’s Jenny was killed in the Season 5 finale after she let a former target free. With some flashbacks featuring Holly’s return, the truth about Gibbs and a former boss changing the story behind her death could finally come to light.

Alexandra Quinn

Alexandra Quinn (Jennifer Esposito) joined the series in Season 14 after the actress lost her role in Blue Bloods due to a health issue. Her contract expired after the one season, however, and her character was written off the show when she left the team to take car of her sick mother.

Maybe Quinn could return to the series after her mother’s death or be involved in a future case, Ziva-style.

Clayton Reeves

Fans are still mad about Clayton Reeves’ (Duane Henry) death in Season 15. The agent was caught in the middle of the attempt on Abby’s life and ended up dead from a gunshot wound.

Though the team and Abby avenged his death, and Abby left the series to make his dreams of opening a charity a reality, it feels as if we lost the character too soon. Here’s hoping the character returns for some flashback appearances at some point in future seasons.

Still Going Strong

NCIS continues to hold its spot as one of the most-watched ad beloved series in broadcast television.

Despite the big cast exits, the series maintains its popularity. Mark Harmon and David McCallum are the only original cast members still on the series. The show also stars Sean Murray, Rocky Carroll, Brian Dietzen, Emily Wickersham, Wilmer Valderrama, Maria Bello and Diona Reasonover.

NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.