Michael Weatherly back for ‘NCIS’ spinoff after ‘Bull’ controversy
Fans of “NCIS” have another show to binge-watch.
Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo have scored their own 10-part spinoff at Paramount+, the streaming service announced on Wednesday.
The stars played Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David, respectively, on the original show.
The new show will reunite the two on-screen for the first time in 10 years.
The “Bull” actor, 55, initially appeared on “NCIS” when it premiered in 2003.
As for the “Jury” actress, 44, she joined the crime drama in Season 3 in 2005 — and her character was presumably killed off in Season 13.
The official synopsis reads: “Tony left the ‘NCIS’ team to go raise their daughter. Years later, Ziva was discovered alive, leading her to complete one final mission with NCIS before she was reunited with Tony and their daughter in Paris.”
“Since then — and where we find them in the new Paramount+ original series — Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter, Tali, together,” the summary noted.
“When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, try to figure out who is after them and maybe even learn to trust each other again so that they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.”
Tony and Ziva had an on-again/off-again relationship throughout the show, with their daughter being born in Season 13. The duo are often referred to by the merged word “Tiva.”
The spinoff comes two years after Weatherly left his CBS courtroom drama “Bull,” which ran from 2016 to 2022. In 2018, co-star Eliza Dushku accused Weatherly of sexual harassment on set before being written off the show. She later reached a confidential settlement with the network that paid her $9.5 million.
Weatherly, for his part, apologized for making jokes that were “not funny and not appropriate” at the time.
He announced his “Bull” departure via Twitter, now X, in January 2022. “Hello all!” he wrote. “It’s been my privilege to play Dr. Jason Bull but after 6 Seasons of incredible storylines, I’ve decided it’s time to pursue new creative challenges and bring his story to a close.”
Weatherly’s new series has no title or release date yet, however, filming on the show is set to begin later this year.
Both Weatherly and de Pablo will be executive producers on the project.
The pair released a statement of their own about the news.
“The world of Tony and Ziva (and daughter Tali) promises to be an action-packed roller coaster fueled by love, danger, tears and laughter,” they said. “We also want to acknowledge and thank the fans from around the world who supported the ‘TIVA’ movement for years. This is for you!”
The “NCIS” universe has expanded to six other shows, including series set in Sydney, New Orleans and Los Angeles.
Read the full article Here