After Ziva’s apparent death, Tony raises their daughter Tali. Years later, Ziva returns and reunites with Tony. Tony’s company is attacked, and the family travels to Europe to learn who’s after them and how to trust each other again.
I was never a big fan of “NCIS.” I watched it with my mother occasionally because she was a fan of the show, but I watched enough episodes to know who DiNozzo and David were. I know they had a tumultuous history, starting originally as flirtatious, with their relationship eventually leading to deep love and the birth of their daughter, Tali. In season 13 of “NCIS,” we learned that Ziva was killed in a mortar attack, but more surprisingly, she left behind a daughter that Tony quit NCIS for to take care of. Later on, it was revealed that Ziva faked her death to protect her family and was eventually reunited with Tony and Tali in Paris.
That’s where “NCIS: Tony & Ziva” picks up. The show alternates between early 2020, when Tony and Tali were reunited with Ziva in Paris, and the present day. We move forward and back in time to see how Tony and Ziva try to rekindle their relationship but run into a lot of obstacles, much of it stemming from Ziva’s PTSD and Tony’s struggle to be completely vulnerable with Ziva due to the pain caused by her fake death and the years apart. That’s where “NCIS: Tony & Ziva” picks up. Tony now owns his own private security firm in Paris, and Ziva owns a language school. They are not romantically involved, but spend time co-parenting Tali from their individual apartments. When Tony is framed for an Interpol cyber-heist and Ziva is targeted, they go on the run across Europe, trying to clear their names and resolve their complicated romantic history.
It was actually the trailer for this show that made me want to watch it. I’ve always enjoyed the on-screen chemistry between DiNozzo and David over the years, and it’s never more evident than here. While the flagship show “NCIS” introduced us to these characters, it was mainly an ensemble cast, with five primary characters at the beginning that gradually grew to over 18 to accommodate character exits and new additions. Here, DiNozzo and David are front and central, with a few secondary characters, both good guys and bad guys, thrown in for good measure.
One aspect that I really liked about this show is that it was filmed almost entirely in Europe. While the show is centered in Paris, the production was actually based squarely in Budapest, Hungary, with smaller film crews sent to Paris for authentic on-location street shots. It makes for a nice change of scenery, rather than seeing the same old Washington, D.C. backgrounds and landmarks from the original show. While we learn more about DiNozzo and David and what makes them tick, we also, surprisingly, get a good backstory on the show’s central antagonist, Jonah Markham (Julian Ovenden), which is uncommon on most TV shows these days. I was pleasantly surprised that it went into as much detail as it did, but there are also twists and turns along the way you don’t see coming, so you never know who to trust.
Sadly, this is the only season. More were planned, but the show just didn’t find its audience. Several factors include the show airing on the streaming platform Paramount+ rather than on its regular broadcast network channel, CBS, and people not wanting to subscribe to watch a single season. It is also worth noting that the show was more expensive to film because it was shot entirely overseas, and many felt it came too little, too late, with the extended absence cooling off the original romantic “will-they-won’t-they” energy. However, as a casual fan, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the constant bickering and back-and-forth between its two protagonists, but I also liked that it specifically dealt with Ziva’s PTSD rather than just glossing over it, as many other shows do. If you were a fan of “NCIS,” especially DiNozzo and David, I think you will have a blast with this. Forget the naysayers and sit back and enjoy!
Available on DVD July 14th
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