In 2003, I turned on the TV to watch my first-ever live pilot, a show then titled Navy NCIS. I stuck with it until midway through season eight, when I studied abroad during college in an age before streaming when keeping up with a weekly series was tough without watching each episode as it aired. The franchise has become immeasurably popular, spawning multiple spin-offs and prequels with the original set to begin its twenty-third season this fall. Its latest offering is something that will delight longtime fans, pulling two beloved characters out of the system to follow them on their latest misadventures far from the world of the American navy.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva picks up in France with Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) coparenting their daughter Tali (Isla Gie). Reunited after Ziva had to fake her death, it’s been a slow path back to normalcy, especially as Ziva continues to adjust after a harrowing existence in hiding. Tony is living large running a security company, but as a new threat presents itself, he and Ziva find themselves on the run from a longtime friend at Interpol, working overtime to keep their family safe, prove their innocence, and find the real culprits before they find them first.
While de Pablo didn’t actually join NCIS until its third season, that’s when the show’s popularity took off, and she and Weatherly were key to its success. It’s been years since either was part of the ensemble, and so this reunion feels both unexpected and worthy of celebration. The two have extraordinary chemistry, and finding them at a place where they’re not involved in a romantic or physical relationship but do have something that will forever link them together is very appealing. Neither has lost any charm, but both do portray the toll that many years of working in the field and having to keep secrets has taken on them.
Setting this show away from both the world of NCIS and America itself is another welcome change, presenting new scenery that makes this show something truly separate from the world that first introduced these characters. Previous knowledge of the series isn’t necessary given a rather lengthy sequence that serves as a “previously on” reminder that covers a great deal of time and numerous momentous events, providing enough information to understand how these two relate to each other and that audiences are surely going to be rooting for them to get back together even if that’s hardly the first thing on either of their minds.
Without murderers to chase, there’s still plenty of action to be found in each episode of this show, which finds both its protagonists jumping in for a good chase sequence or hand-to-hand combat whenever needed. Nassima Benchicou is a terrific villain, chewing scenery as her character, Martine, hunts them down, while James D’Arcy offers a more nuanced take as their longtime friend who suddenly deems them untrustworthy and guilty of the crimes of which they’ve been accused. Amita Suman, Lara Rossi, and Maximilian Osinski provide solid support as key allies of Tony and Ziva’s who offer their own memorable personality traits while aiding the duo in their efforts.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva is lively and entertaining, packing in a surprising amount into its first episode that suggests this first ten-episode season will cover a good deal of ground. Not everything is resolved right away, with certain plot points from episode one continuing well into episode four, the last installment provided to press for review. This show succeeds wondrously in resurrecting two fan favorite characters and giving them a new playground, a surefire way to reel in those who already know and love Tony and Ziva and to hook a brand new audience ready to find out why they were so popular in the first place.
Series Rating: 8/10
