NCIS season 18 has already been confirmed by CBS and fans cannot wait to see the likes of Gibbs and McGee back on their screens. But could they be joined by fan-favourite Ziva David?
Ziva David (played by Cote de Pablo) has kept NCIS fans guessing over the years after she made a shock return from the dead in the action-packed season 16 finale. The much-loved character left fans heartbroken back in 2016 when it was revealed she had “died” in an explosion three years after bowing out of the CBS series, only for it all to be a rouse and for her to reunite with Gibbs (Mark Harmon) in dramatic circumstances. However, her return was deemed to be rather brief as she only made a handful of appearances in season 17 afterwards but she may well be back following a big clue from one of the show’s producers.
Ziva hasn’t been seen in the NCIS universe since midway through the 17th season.
Her most recent exit came after a dramatic confrontation with wanted terrorist Sahar (Louise Barnes).
Sahar was desperate to track down Ziva and almost got her way until a critical intervention by Gibbs.
Gibbs managed to save Ziva from Sahar’s clutches by the finest of margins but it allowed Ziva to finally get some closure and reunite with her family.
The last fans heard of Ziva was that she had managed to reunite with her daughter and long-lost love Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) in Paris.
While she’ll likely be enjoying life in the French capital away from all the drama, writer Gina Lucita Monreal has hinted her story on NCIS is still far from over.
Speaking to CarterMatt after the season 17 finale and discussing her return earlier in the series, the NCIS writer said: “It was such a joy to have Cote back.
“For me, I’m a fan of the show too, and there were a lot of unanswered questions with the Ziva departure.
“It was really fulfilling to be able to answer some of those questions and see her interact with our new team member and give a little bit more closure to the story.”
Producer Frank Cardea was also part of the interview and weighed in: “It was a great experience, and I think it was a great experience for Cote too.
“I would love to see that explored more in the future, and find out where she and Tony are.”
Not keen to rule another return out, Monreal replied: “There’s always more story to tell.”
Does this mean both Ziva and Tony’s stories could be visited in the upcoming season 18?
With plenty “more story to tell”, it seems there’s definitely a possibility.
While there may be no news on when season 18 will be premiering on CBS, showrunner Steven Binder recently shared an exciting update on the new series.
Taking to Twitter at the beginning of June, the writer revealed pen has already been put to paper when it comes to the storylines.
Replying to a fan, he tweeted: “Stay tuned. We are in the (z)room working on the next season as we speak.”
While he kept quiet about what storylines the writers are working on, the fact they’re in the works despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic was widely welcomed by fans.
One replied: “Hopefully you’ll give us more of Gibbs and Jack together, I miss #NCIS so much, and the last few years’ episodes have been so soooo good!”
While a second simply said: “Yeah! Can’t wait!! [love heart emoji].”