The NCIS franchise is back and better than ever with the upcoming spinoffs, NCIS: Origins, and the tentatively titled NCIS: Europe, which will delve into new stories about fan-favorite NCIS characters.NCIS: Origins has been confirmed to revolve around the backstory of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), while NCIS: Europe will follow the exploits of Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) and their new life in Paris. Though little is known about the plot details of either show, there’s plenty to get excited about.
The two upcoming shows revisit familiar stories and characters but add interesting new twists to keep their premises fresh while harkening back to what makes NCIS great.
Despite incurring many spinoffs, NCIS is a spinoff of the original show, JAG. However, since then, it has blossomed into a beloved franchise about the Naval Criminal Investigation Service. NCIS has changed a lot over the last 3 years, and with many characters leaving the show after over 20 seasons, it’s easy to look back on earlier seasons of the show with nostalgia. The two upcoming shows revisit familiar stories and characters but add interesting new twists to keep their premises fresh while harkening back to what makes NCIS great.
10. Tony & Ziva Traveling Across Europe
After reuniting off-screen in Paris
The last few years of NCIS saw major changes for Tony and Ziva, and the pair haven’t been seen onscreen together in many years. For a long time, fans believed that Ziva had died at the end of season 13 when Tony discovered they had a daughter together and left the show to take care of her. However, in season 17, Ziva reappears and reveals to Gibbs that she faked her death to protect her family, but now she will travel to Paris to be with Tony and their daughter, Tali.
Considering how little onscreen romance Tony and Ziva had during NCIS, it was a shame that their reunion happened off-screen. However, their spinoff promises to have all the romance and tension NCIS has been missing since they left, and it will kick off with a chase across Europe. The Tony & Ziva spinoff story will focus on the aftermath of an attack on Tony’s security firm and will send the young family on a journey across the continent.
9. Kyle Schmid As Young Mike Franks
The mentor and partner of Gibbs
Franks is the leader of the NCIS division at Camp Pendleton, the base where Origins will take place.
Exploring the past of Leroy Gibbs will be endlessly entertaining. The many years of lore that have been built up surrounding Gibbs’ past were part of what made NCIS so good. NCIS: Origins promises to feature younger versions of characters involved in Gibbs’ adult life, including Mike Franks, played by Muse Watson in NCIS. Kyle Schmid will portray the young Franks in the new series, and he will have big shoes to fill. Franks is the leader of the NCIS division at Camp Pendleton, the base where Origins will take place.
Seeing the dynamic between the young Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and Franks will give essential insight into their relationship in their later years. There are a few other characters who have been confirmed to join the cast, but casting Schmid as Franks was a crucial casting choice if the show is going to be a success. Frank has a background in military TV, starring in the series SIX, and has the right look to play a young Watson.
8. The Return Of Vera Strickland
Another blast from Gibbs’ past
Special Agent Vera Strickland (Roma Maffia) and Gibbs are connected by their relationship with Mike Franks. She was the late partner of Franks before he was killed, and so might have a level of power and control over Gibbs in the spinoff. Her character only appeared briefly in NCIS, so there are many places where Origins can take her role. So far, the actress who will portray the young Strickland hasn’t been announced. However, adding plenty of strong female characters to the show will be vital, as the series’ setting is traditionally male-dominated.
If she is a co-leader or partner of Franks at Camp Pendleton in Origins, that would be an interesting character choice. Seeing how Gibbs reacts to being a follower is something audiences have never seen, as he was the defacto leader on NCIS throughout his time on the show. Additionally, Strickland and Franks might have a more complicated past than what was shown on NCIS, and their secret could impact the plot of Origins.
7. Meeting Ziva & Tony’s Daughter
Her birth happened offscreen
Unfortunately, many of the key relationship developments with Tony and Ziva occurred between seasons or offscreen, meaning the audience hasn’t had a chance to meet their daughter, Tali. Tali was named after Ziva’s sister, and though Tali spent her first few years without Tony, she spent another without Ziva when she faked her death. While neither parent has been especially present for her childhood, it remains to be seen what their life in Paris has been like since Ziva went to join them.
Many questions surrounding Tali’s upbringing, her outlook, and Tony and Ziva’s adjustment to parenthood must be answered in the spinoff show. At this point, Tali is likely to be in her early teens, but no official announcements about her casting choice have been revealed. Since Tony and Ziva will be on the run for the majority of the season, it’s questionable if they will bring Tali with them or bring her somewhere to keep her safe.
6. How Gibbs’ Wife & Daughter Died
The dark history that haunts him throughout NCIS
Gibbs’ darkest story on NCIS involves the death of his first wife and daughter many years ago, which took place around the time Origins is set. While Gibbs was still in the Marines in the early 1990s, his family was murdered and he wasn’t there to stop it. This absence haunts him throughout NCIS, as does the fact that his wife allegedly saw a murder occur at Camp Pendleton before her death. Origins will have to decide if the show wants to pick up immediately following their death or if they want to portray it onscreen.
Origins will start in the aftermath of their deaths and Gibbs’ transfer to Camp Pendleton. His outlook will certainly be colored by this tragedy, meaning a rocky start for his career.
Most likely, Origins will start in the aftermath of their deaths and Gibbs’ transfer to Camp Pendleton. His outlook will certainly be colored by this tragedy, meaning a rocky start for his career. However, Origins must be careful not to retread ground that NCIS already covered concerning their deaths. This plotline must serve as a jumping-off point for greater intrigue at the base. The mystery surrounding the murdered Marine at Camp Pendleton would be a good place to start.
5. Mariel Molino as Special Agent Lala Dominguez
A newcomer in Gibbs’ background
Mariel Molino has been confirmed to be playing Special Agent Lala Dominguez in NCIS: Origins and her character will be a strong foil to Gibbs, Franks, and the many domineering men at Camp Pendleton. Molino is known for her roles in The Watchful Eye and Promised Land, and she has shown the range of her performances through these stints on TV shows. Her character, Dominguez, is a former Marine and will be the partner of Gibbs, not to mention the hints of a romance between her and Gibbs.
If Origins is going to tackle the aftermath of the death of Gibbs’ family, introducing a new love interest right away is a risky move. Historically, Gibbs has not had good luck in the romance department and has demonstrated serious commitment issues.Origins will likely opt for a will-they-won’t-they romance to add increased tension and stakes to the plot. Since Dominguez never appears in NCIS, her character arc might not have a happy trajectory.
4. Tony & Ziva Meeting International Law Enforcement
If NCIS veterans won’t return who will they interact with?
It’s unlikely that the NCIS Tony & Ziva spinoff will include original show cameos. This is because the series intends to take a serialized approach to the story instead of the episodic murder-of-the-week format other NCIS shows tend to employ. Additionally, since it takes place in Europe, most original NCIS characters have remained in America, or their actors have no interest in rejoining the cast. Of course, this doesn’t mean it will never happen, but audiences shouldn’t get their hopes up waiting for special guests who probably aren’t coming.
However, not including past characters opens the door for many new characters to join the cast and for them to be part of European law enforcement divisions. It’s also a good thing because it means that Tony and Ziva’s spinoff won’t rely on the momentum and nostalgia of the original NCIS and intends to stand out as a new type of series. The unconventional but effective styles of investigation that Tony and Ziva utilize are sure to turn heads in Europe.
3. How Tony & Ziva Got Back Together Explained
How did Tony react to learning that Ziva was alive?
Using the serialized approach to fully develop and flesh out their dynamic and have them air their grievances will be necessary if fans are to accept that their life in Paris is their happily-ever-after.
The end of Tony and Ziva’s arcs on NCIS came off like fan service in NCIS season 17 because though the audience never saw the characters together, they easily decided to be a family and live together as soon as Ziva was safe. This decision is hard to believe, considering everything that happened between them. Ziva lied and didn’t tell Tony about their daughter for years, and then faked her death right after that, leaving Tony to grieve and take care of Tali.
After so many years spent bickering and fighting, it’s surprising they would suddenly get along and put aside these betrayals. Their spinoff has the opportunity to finally explore their dynamic as a couple and resolve the underlying issues that made their relationship so difficult to begin with. Using the serialized approach to fully develop and flesh out their dynamic and have them air their grievances will be necessary if fans are to accept that their life in Paris is their happily-ever-after.
2. Gibbs’ Early Career In The Marines
What kind of soldier was he?
Audience members know Gibbs as a leader and as an investigator, but they’ve never seen him fresh out of his military service or as a working Marine. NCIS: Origins has the opportunity to explore both of these sides of Gibbs and let the viewer witness how much change and growth he experienced as a young man. The fact that Harmon will be lending his voice to the series as the older Gibbs in the form of a narrator, his perspective as a seasoned part of the NCIS team might interject when the younger Gibbs makes a misstep.
Much of NCIS is colored by the military and the investigators’ background in it. However, not every character on the show was as explicitly tied to it as Gibbs was, and that influenced his strategies and decision-making across the seasons. In his early career and transition out of being in the Marines, Gibbs will likely be a completely different man and have a lot to learn in terms of criminal investigations.
1. McGee Teaming Up With Tony & Ziva
If anyone does make a cameo, it has to be McGee.
If an NCIS cast member does appear on the Tony and Ziva, it must be Timothy McGee (Sean Murray). McGee is the essential element that bonds Tony and Ziva and eases the tension when the love or hate threatens to boil over and ruin an investigation. Seeing them reunited would be an amazing moment for all three of them, considering how long it’s been since they were together. Additionally, witnessing McGee out of his element in a European city would be a hilarious development for the show.
Though the spinoff is a new show with new plots, it will still be informed by Tony and Ziva’s histories, and McGee is part of that.
His skills would surely come in handy in helping Tony and Ziva discover who targeted Tony’s security company, and their chemistry as a trio would be as apparent as ever. McGee would also make a kind and caring uncle figure to Tali, who hasn’t met any people from her parent’s past. Though the spinoff is a new show with new plots, it will still be informed by Tony and Ziva’s histories, and McGee is part of that.
