Of all the procedural crime shows that have had an impact on pop culture, CSI and NCIS have to be at the very top of the list. Both series have managed to keep their audiences hooked and a part of their ever-growing fandom since their debut. Considering the shelf life of a show these days, that has to be a feat in itself.
![NCIS [Credit: CBS]](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/05143050/NCIS-Credit-CBS-1024x739.jpg "“When I walked out, I thought it was over and that was it”: NCIS Star Who Abruptly Quit Had a “Clandestine Meeting” With Mark Harmon to Return to the Show 1")
However, the success of NCIS is not entirely to the credit of its fan investment and the scriptwriters coming up with innovative storylines. The character chemistry plays a huge role in making the show’s cast instantly feel like family – to each other and to the fans. However, one beloved actor found it was time to leave the nest and, after 12 years, found her way back home again.
Cote de Pablo addresses her NCIS return
![Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo as Tony and Ziva in NCIS Season 11 finale [Credit: CBS]](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/05143618/NCIS-%E2%80%93-Michael-Weatherly-and-Cote-de-Pablo-as-Tony-and-Ziva-in-Season-11-finale-Credit-CBS-1024x579.jpg "“When I walked out, I thought it was over and that was it”: NCIS Star Who Abruptly Quit Had a “Clandestine Meeting” With Mark Harmon to Return to the Show 2")
It’s not every day that a fan-favorite character on television finds themselves wading open water without the prospect of land in sight. NCIS regular Cote de Pablo found herself in a somewhat similar situation when she decided to let go of her fan-beloved identity as Ziva David in Season 11, only to be killed off-screen in Season 13.
Later, in an interview with USA Today, she revealed, “When I walked out, I thought it was over and that was it.”
All hope of her return was lost until a character teased the possibility of her being alive, and Season 16 ended with a bang as the formerly presumed-dead character reunited with Mark Harmon‘s Jethro Gibbs to warn him of a threat to his life. Season 17 of NCIS followed up on that threat, and later, Ziva was believed to have reunited with Tony DiNozzo off-screen.
Recounting Cote de Pablo’s NCIS comeback, executive producer Frank Cardea revealed the extreme measures that were taken on and off the set to shroud her episode in secrecy, even from the studio executives:
She decided to come out and actually meet with us. We had a clandestine meeting with Steve [Binder] and I and Mark Harmon. It was like she had never left.
The set only retained a skeleton crew to film her comeback scene, and Cote de Pablo arrived late into the night as everyone stood up for her and clapped.
Cote de Pablo refuses to elaborate on why she left
Since her highly anticipated Season 17 comeback, Cote de Pablo has refused to fully explain the reasons behind leaving NCIS in the first place at the end of Season 11. Despite being a highly valued series regular and playing a fan-favorite character, the Chilean-born actress seems to have given up on Ziva.
However, she debunked rumors claiming that her exit was a result of creative differences on set and that she left after feeling the show wasn’t respecting her character anymore. Interviews along that line were reportedly taken out of context, according to de Pablo, and those did not depict the reality behind her choice at all.
In a USA Today interview, she revealed that when it came down to it, it was simply a matter of choice, and at the time, de Pable felt that she “didn’t really have an option.” Now, as NCIS heads toward Season 23 of its regime, a spin-off starring one of TV’s most shipped couples is set to air on Paramount+, titled NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva is set to premiere on the streaming platform in 2025.
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