NCIS: Tony & Ziva Showrunner John McNamara on What’s in Store for Tiva in the Much-Anticipated Spinoff

Tony and Ziva, affectionately known by fans as Tiva, are finally returning to our screens after all these years.

Throughout their time on NCIS, the two had a will-they/won’t-they dynamic that ended with Ziva joining Tony in Paris, where he was living with their daughter, Tali.

We recently spoke with NCIS: Tony & Ziva showrunner, John McNamara, during San Diego Comic-Con about the show and where we pick up with Tony and Ziva all these years later. (You can watch the full interview below.)

It would have been safe to assume that this meant the two would be a couple when NCIS: Tony & Ziva kicked off, but that is not the case.

“I just felt that was realistic. I had a strong instinct that when they first got together in 2020, their intent was to be a couple and to raise Tali as a couple,” McNamara said.

“Then I felt like something went horribly wrong somewhere between 2020 and 2025. And they’re now sort of on the other side of it, and they’re kind of at peace with it.”

Watch the full interview with John McNamara about NCIS: Tony & Ziva:

“They were both really kind of [living] a polite lie in 2025. And the plot of the story is when they’re made fugitives, rips the band-aid, just rips it open,” he said.

One way NCIS: Tony & Ziva differs from NCIS is that it isn’t a procedural, and McNamara spoke about why that decision was made.

“I didn’t feel like I could do their characters with any real depth and then just have a murder theme. I needed something continuous, and what that allowed me to do, and the other writers, was the pressure never lets up on you.”

“[On] the second episode — spoiler — a fleet of autonomously driving cars tries to kill them, and that actually has a big impact on their relationship. They then find out later that Tali’s in danger — that has a big effect on the relationship. And you couldn’t tell that kind of story if we were stopping and starting everything,” McNamara teased.

Luckily for us, Paramount+ is premiering the show with three episodes before transitioning to one episode a week.

“The thing about streaming, this is mostly as a viewer, as a fan, is I love getting pulled in and addicted,” McNamara said. “I think it helps with a show like this where you get a bunch at once, and then you can kind of slow it down.”

Are you excited for Tony and Ziva’s return? Share your thoughts and hopes for the season in the comments below! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our interview with Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo!

Check out our full coverage of San Diego Comic-Con, including panel recaps, news, and interviews, here! 

NCIS: Tony & Ziva premieres on September 4 on Paramount+. 

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