With the show in early development, it’s still unclear if other familiar faces from the NCIS franchise will make special appearances. The titular characters will be on the run in Europe, so chances to bump into old friends may be limited. However, according to Deadline, at least two NCIS stars are eager to get involved. Brian Dietzen, who plays Dr. Jimmy Palmer, expressed his enthusiasm at a press event, saying, “I’m so happy for Michael and Cote and think John McNamara is going to do a fantastic job for them. It sounds very atypical for NCIS as far as the storytelling because it won’t be a case-of-the-week type of show. That said, if they say: ‘Hey, we need Jimmy Palmer on a plasma screen,’ I’d say hell yes, that’d be fun. I’d do that in a heartbeat.”
Nicholas Torres actor Wilmer Valderrama also teased his interest, saying, “I’ve explored so much, I’ve got to do a lot of good things… but I’d like to maybe have my character be undercover somewhere in Europe, to leave Washington DC and have my character embedded in Italy, France, or London.”
The spinoff series will consist of ten episodes and is one of multiple new shows soon arriving from the NCIS franchise. A prequel series, NCIS: Origins, is also in the works for a planned Fall 2024 release on CBS. The main NCIS is moving forward with Season 22, though NCIS: Hawai’i was canceled after three seasons.
Michael Weatherly, discussing the new direction for Tony & Ziva, said, “It’s not an evergreen procedural; it’s not structured the same way. Will the audience show up for that? Are we shooting out of our weight class here with a different kind of story?” He added, “[Series writer and showrunner] John [McNamara] is not from the NCIS universe, so we’re introducing a new voice. I think those things that might a few years ago have been to our detriment became assets when people started really understanding streaming.”
A premiere date hasn’t yet been set for NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
