Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo remains a fan favorite on NCIS, even nearly a decade after his departure. While fans can stream his 13-season run on Paramount+, one standout episode often revisited is Season 5’s “Requiem.”
However, former NCIS executive producer Shane Brennan recently revealed on the Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch podcast that the original CBS promo for the episode fell flat, prompting the show’s team to take creative control of advertising.
Brennan explained that CBS initially cut a sepia-toned promo featuring lace frames, violins, and the tagline: “Someone from Gibbs’ past comes back to remind him of the daughter he’s lost.” Brennan and the team were unimpressed, feeling it missed the episode’s emotional intensity and action-packed moments.
In the episode, Mark Harmon’s Gibbs reunites with Maddie Tyler, his late daughter’s best friend, whose kidnapping prompts a dramatic rescue. Tony is the standout, leaping into a bay to rescue Gibbs and Maddie from a sunken vehicle. Instead of promoting this dramatic moment, CBS used a quiet, uninspired promo.
Brennan and editor Roy Poole recut the advertisement to highlight Tony’s heroic gesture, fading to black for tension, and finishing with a simple, striking message: “Next Tuesday.” While it risked disclosing too much, Brennan was confident it would captivate viewers. The new promo resonated, as the program received 18.15 million people, making it the season’s most-watched.
Fans can rewatch “Requiem” now on Paramount+. Meanwhile, NCIS Season 22 returns January 27, 2025, with Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo set to reprise their roles in the upcoming spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
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