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Contains spoilers for “NCIS” Season 24, Episode 1 — “Wayward Son”
The departure of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) in Season 19 might have seemed like a potentially fatal blow to “NCIS,” but the long-running series has returned for Season 24 with another major shake-up. Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) is back — and he has taken on one of the franchise’s most important positions: director of NCIS. Tony assumes the role after Gabriel LaRoche (Seamus Dever) suffers a disastrous tenure. As “Wayward Son” reveals, LaRoche only got the opportunity in the first place because Tony, who was originally Director Leon Vance’s (Rocky Carroll) preferred successor, initially rejected the job.
That twist strongly suggests Tony is here to stay. The Season 24 premiere also delivers welcome updates about several characters connected to the Paramount+ spin-off “NCIS: Tony & Ziva.” Through the episode’s dialogue, viewers learn that Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) and the couple’s daughter, Tali (Isla Gie), are both doing well. They are currently based in Boston, where Ziva works at a language institute while Tali attends boarding school. The episode also reveals what happened to Boris Peskov (Maximilian Osinski), the hacker who created the 9.4 program central to the spin-off’s storyline: he is now living in Marrakesh, Morocco.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva may have been canceled, but it’s still part of the franchise
Greg Gayne/CBS
“NCIS: Tony & Ziva” became one of the franchise’s shortest-lived series after Paramount+ canceled it following a single season, a decision that ultimately helped bring Tony back to the flagship show. Now that Director DiNozzo is once again a regular and an essential figure in the “NCIS” story, fans will be watching to see whether Ziva and Tali remain in Boston or eventually make their own return to the main series.
The fall season is shaping up to be a significant one for “NCIS” viewers, particularly because of the franchise’s growing number of familiar faces. Alongside Michael Weatherly’s return as Tony, Mark Harmon’s comeback in “NCIS: Origins” is another major development. The franchise veteran has expanded his narration role and will appear on screen again in Season 3. Whether either series has more surprise returns planned remains to be seen, but bringing both Weatherly and Harmon back for on-screen appearances is already a notable moment — and a major win for the “NCIS” franchise.
