Ziva David (played by Cote de Pablo) was thought to be only returning for the opening two episodes of NCIS season 17. The series’ showrunners, however, have now revealed she will be back for at least four episodes to deal with what they call “something very serious”. The CBS show’s bosses have also given some fascinating hints about what the major threat Ziva and Gibbs (Mark Harmon) will be facing.
Why has Ziva’s role has been extended?
According to an interview NCIS co-showrunner Steve Binder gave with Parade, it seems like Ziva’s role was extended because they felt they had so much plot to cover with the fan-favourite character.
Binder said: “If you look at the things we know; we know she had a daughter, and the daughter was sent to live with Tony (Michael Weatherley).
“It’s unknown whether or not she’s been involved with Tony or not.
“But, certainly, if she has, Tony hasn’t called the team up and said she’s alive.
READ MORE: NCIS season 17: How Cote de Pablo was convinced to return
“So, there would have to be something very serious hanging over her own head, not just Gibbs’.
“Just from the available facts, you can add up the idea that there’s someone out there that’s so bad, that’s so dangerous, that she had to go undercover and leave her daughter behind, at least for a period of time.”
He then went into more details of what this ‘serious’ threat would be and how it would relate to what we already know about Ziva.
He said: “One of the things that we wanted to do was not just create something out of whole cloth where you’re like ‘huh?’
READ MORE: NCIS season 17 spoilers: Ziva David to have a bigger role?
“So when we came up with this backstory, we laid a little pipe ourselves once we knew we had Cote, but the initial genesis of this story was — and this is a clue — it’s something that has been part of the fabric of the show, her character and the introduction of her character from the very beginning.
“So, we’re playing with the DNA of Ziva David in terms of this jeopardy.
“This isn’t some newly created arch-nemesis conspiracy theory or conspiracy that she’s tried to get out from beneath.
“This will tie into the lore and history of the show.”
In the NCIS season 17 trailer, that threat was revealed to be a woman called Sahar (Mouzam Makkar).
READ MORE: NCIS: Did Ziva David star Cote de Pablo get injured? Actress opens up
In the promo, Ziva says of Sahar: “There is a woman. Her name is Sahar. She wants me dead and now she’s after you.”
However, she also admits to Gibbs: “I’ve never seen her.”
In the Parade interview, NCIS co-showrunner Frank Cardea also confirmed how many episodes of NCIS season 17 Ziva would appear in.
He said: “There will be four episodes in this season, two early on and two fall/winter.”
NCIS season 17 starts on Tuesday, September 24 on CBS.