NCIS has the perfect opportunity to replace Tony and Ziva's slow-burn romance within the franchise, even before Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo return. Special agents DiNozzo and David met in NCIS season 3, and had immediate chemistry despite not trusting one another amid Ari Haswari's (Rudolf Martin) reign of terror. Ziva was introduced on the NCIS flagship in tandem with a massive transition following Sasha Alexander's Caitlin Todd's shocking death in NCIS season 2. Ultimately, Ziva would replace Kate, creating the perfect setup for Tony and Ziva's romance.
While they never officially got together on the series, a romance developed between Tony and Ziva, until Cote de Pablo's NCIS exit. Even after Ziva faked her death in NCIS, Tony stayed committed to his former partner, stepping up to raise the daughter he discovered they had together, named Tali. Suffice it to say, the NCIS romance was iconic, and NCIS: Sydney can recreate it.
Why Tony & Ziva's Relationship In NCIS Is Such A Fan-Favorite
Tony And Ziva Have An Epic Love Story
Tony and Ziva's romance is a fan-favorite love story, which coincided with the golden years of NCIS when Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) was the Special Agent in Charge. Tony and Ziva were Gibbs' two most trusted agents, along with Sean Murray's rookie Timothy McGee at their side. Stories like the NCIS season 7 premiere, where Tony, Gibbs, and McGee rescue Ziva from Somalia, are some of the show's best moments, and the characters are to thank for that.
Tony and Ziva's romance was compelling because the agents maintained tension by not acting on their romance throughout their entire time in the series. Essential Tony and Ziva NCIS episodes, like "Under Covers," put Tony and Ziva in enthralling situations that showcased the actors' chemistry without technically green-lighting their relationship. NCIS kept anticipation for Tony and Ziva's romance arc high, and fans were consistently invested in the story throughout the pair's time in the procedural.
Admittedly, there's some disappointment that NCIS didn't really have a clear payoff for Tony and Ziva's romance. However, at least the franchise will reward those who have rooted for the couple since their paths first crossed. In the meantime, a different NCIS show from the universe can replicate the mothership's success with one of its pairings.
NCIS: Sydney Season 2 Can Replicate Tony & Ziva's Romantic Tension With Evie & DeShawn
Evie And DeShawn Can Up The Tension In Season 2
While Tony and Ziva's romance on the flagship has sailed, NCIS can replicate its glory days by recreating the iconic romantic tension between Evie (Tuuli Narkle) and DeShawn (Sean Sagar) in NCIS: Sydney. The Australian-based NCIS offshoot established a connection between the agents in NCIS: Sydney season 1, pairing Evie and DeShawn as partners throughout the procedural's freshman outing. Evie often teases DeShawn while investigating, gender-flipping Weatherly's playful Tony character.
The Sydney-centered spinoff proves that Evie and DeShawn are more than friends in NCIS: Sydney season 1, episode 7, "Bunker Down." When Evie is sealed in a decommissioned bunker, she leaves her final words in a confessional voice memo to DeShawn on her phone. Evie and DeShawn don't act on their romance in the first season, starting the perfect slow burn. NCIS: Sydney season 2 can continue building the tension by putting the agents in compelling situations like Tony and Ziva, potentially going undercover more extensively as a married couple.
Michael Weatherly & Cote de Pablo's NCIS Return Explained
But Even Their Show Can't Replicate Tony & Ziva's Original Appeal
Weatherly and de Pablo will return as their fan-favorite characters in NCIS: Tony & Ziva. Their offshoot focuses on the agents approximately a decade after their stories end on the flagship. Ziva has reunited with Tony and their daughter, Tali, and the family has been happily living in Paris, until their offshoot's inciting incident. Rather than commit to the flagship's established procedural format, Tony and Ziva's spinoff will stream on Paramount+ rather than air on CBS, giving the agents a shorter set of more connected outings to continue the story.
Still, while Weatherly and de Pablo will return, Evie and DeShawn's romance has a better chance of recreating the perfect slow-burn than a Tony and Ziva continuation. NCIS established that Tony and Ziva are finally together and have been for years, so NCIS: Tony & Ziva will be more about their journey as parents and a family than their trademark will-they/won't-they romance. In contrast, Evie and DeShawn are in the second season of their story playing out on NCIS: Sydney, which can take their tension to the next level while maintaining the anticipation like Tony and Ziva once did.
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