NCIS star Michael Weatherly recently stated that the cast was “happily married” to one another before actress Cote de Pablo left the show.
NCIS has been on CBS for 20 seasons, with the landmark series currently airing weekly on the American network. The cr1me procedural began with a nearly entirely different cast, including the always endearing Agent Tony DiNozzo (played by Michael Weatherly). Until she left the team in 2013, he had an on-again, off-again relationship with Agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo).
Ziva, Tony, and Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) traveled to Israel nine years ago to protect Agent Leroy Gibbs (Mark Harmon) from a political vendetta.
When the problem was resolved, Ziva chose to remain in her home country rather than return to America.
Long-term viewers who were hoping to see her and Tony together were taken aback by her unexpected exit.
However, before boarding the plane back to the United States, the colleagues shared a passionate kiss, hinting at what they desired.
Many viewers did not expect Ziva to leave NCIS, and according to a 2013 interview with Weatherly, neither did he.
The Tony DiNozzo actor told World Screen Podcast in March of that year, seven months before Ziva’s final episode, that none of the cast members were looking for work elsewhere.
“We’re an open, relaxed environment with a free exchange of ideas and thoughts; it’s not a creatively inhibiting environment, and it’s a real pleasure to go to a workspace like that,” he said.
“No one is wondering, ‘What’s next?’ in terms of a career; everyone is very satisfied and happy to be where we are.”
“As strange as that sounds, it’s very rare, because people often see their current job as a stepping stone to the next thing they want,” Weatherly added.
“We’re all happily married to one another.”
Despite the 54-year-comments old’s at the time, actress Cote de Pablo’s final episode of the drama aired on CBS just months later.
Pablo explained her departure a few years later, stating that it was “political.”
“Unfortunately, due to political issues and scripts that were not good enough, I chose not to [return to NCIS].”
“See, I adore this character!” I spent eight years creating Ziva and when I felt she wasn’t being treated with the respect she deserved.
“They were going to send [Ziva] back to Israel and make her a miserable, unfortunate woman.” It didn’t seem fair to me.
“I told them I wasn’t coming back until someone wrote something really fantastic for Ziva.”
Fortunately, the writers devised a plot that enticed Pablo to return to the NCIS set.
Ziva arose from the d3ad in Season 16 after it was revealed that the agent had faked her d3ath in Israel to protect her loved ones.
She had a happy ending when she reconnected with DiNozzo and their daughter Tali in Paris shortly after returning to America.
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