Fans had been clamouring for the smouldering chemistry between Tony and Ziva – affectionately dubbed “Tiva” by loyal fans – to catch fire. Their hopes were dashed when Ziva appeared to be killed. The spin-off reveals that they "did" – and had a daughter – whom it turns out Ziva faked her death to protect. Years later she was reunited with Tony and Tali in Paris and there’s still a lingering element of romance; but it turns out they’re not in a relationship – just amicable co-parents who share lingering looks.
While the rest of the NCIS gang – and their spin-off gangs across the US and around the world – were off wisecracking and solving crimes, Tony and Ziva had been amicably co-parenting, with Tony running a security company with several high-profile European clients and Ziva running a language school. When Tony’s company is attacked, the modern family is forced to go on the run as they attempt to unravel who’s behind the plot.
Cote de Pablo at Comic Con:
People.com reports that de Pablo told a panel at New York Comic Con that she found making the show "very healing". “Michael and I had a little dinner at some point, I think it was this year, and we finally had a chat about what that first season was for us," de Pablo said. “And I said, 'Well, what was it like for you to do this?' We both simultaneously said it was very healing because we never got a chance to really play out most of the things we thought we could on such a long run. Because of the fans and because of this energetic want to do this, all of that could be explored,” she continued.
Season 1 reviews:
Variety’s Chris Willman says that NCIS: Tony & Ziva recaptures some of the magic that made the original NCIS such a television juggernaut, including “…recapturing the overriding wit that set NCIS apart from all the other procedurals when it came into its own in its salad days in the 2000s. At last, it’s a take on the show that doesn’t shrink away from the fact that 90% of the audience is there for the relationships, not the murder-of-the-week. In the end, this spinoff is what the other series have seemingly longed to be, but couldn’t call themselves without truly betraying their titles: a spy show”.
Writing for the LA Times, Robert Lloyd says that “… what makes the show worth watching [is] Weatherly and De Pablo, two extremely attractive middle-aged people with genuine chemistry; he’s superheroically unflappable without ever seeming anything but a regular Joe. She’s sad and serious and not to be messed with. They’ve been around; they have worn edges, and when they intersect, it generates something authentically sweet, as real as the rest of the series is improbable. There’s a reason for all that fan fiction.”
Watch NCIS: Tony & Ziva from Thursday 6 November at 19:00 on M-Net – and also on DStv Stream and Catch Up.
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