We Finally Know the Exact ‘NCIS’ Episodes You Need To Watch Before the ‘Tony & Ziva’ Spinoff

As NCIS: Tony & Ziva nears its Paramount+ premiere on September 4, 2025, it’s time for fans to catch up on the best franchise moments featuring the two intrinsically linked characters. Shipped as “Tiva,” the two beloved colleagues and on-and-off lovers first appeared in NCIS Season 3 (2005) and have built one of the most special TV bonds in the past 20 years.

Now that they’re the focus of their own spinoff, reliving the highs and lows of Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva’s (Cote de Pablo) complicated time together and apart is the ideal way to prepare for the next chapter in their lives. With their daughter, Tali (Isla Gie), playing a vital role in the newest spinoff set in Paris, here’s a helpful compendium of Tony & Ziva’s must-see moments throughout their time together in NCIS.

NCIS: Tony & Ziva|First Look Trailer|Paramount

What Is ‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’ About?

Tony, Ziva, and Tali embrace in NCIS: Tony & ZivaParamount+

Before looking back, it’s worth previewing what’s ahead. The seventh franchise entry to date, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, begins with a bang. Ziva David is presumed dead, leaving her longtime partner, Tony DiNozzo, to raise their daughter, Tali DiNozzo, alone. The story jumps ahead several years, when it is revealed that Ziva is alive. Ziva returns to Tony and Tali after Tony’s company is ambushed, forcing the family to flee to Europe and hide out in Paris.

Described as “an unconventional love story” by the showrunners (via The Mirror), the spinoff reunites two fan-favorite characters. Weatherly exited the franchise in 2016, while de Pablo left in 2013. Weatherly later returned for a guest appearance in 2024, and de Pablo made several appearances in 2017 and 2019.

Every Tony & Ziva ‘NCIS’ Episode To Watch

Tony touches Ziva's face in NCIS: Tony & ZivaParamount+

For longtime NCIS fans, re-watching the best episodes featuring Tiva serves as a nostalgic refresher. For newer fans who are less familiar with Tony and Ziva and why they remain so popular, seeing their relationship develop and evolve from the beginning is essential to enjoying the new spinoff. Fortunately, Pokingcave on Tumblr broke down the best of the best of their time together between NCIS Seasons 3 and 17.

Season 3

Ziva and Tony smile at each other in NCISCBS
3×1 Kill Ari Pt 1.
3×2 Kill Ari Pt. 2
3×4 Silver War
3×8 Under Covers
3×9 Frame Up
3×12 Boxed In
3×20 Untouchable
3×23 Hiatus Pt. 1
3×24 Hiatus Pt. 2

“Under Covers” is the must-watch Season 3 episode, focusing on Tiva’s undercover assignment.

Season 4

Roy and Ziva face off in NCISCBS
4×1 Shalom
4×3 Singled Out
4×9 Twisted Sister
4×11 Driven
4×16 Dead Man Walking
4×20 Cover Story
4×23 Trojan Horse
4×24 Angel of Death

While romantically apart in Season 4, the standout episode is “Dead Man Walking.” It shows the two are meant for each other.

Season 5

Ziva and Tony cram in a vent shaft in NCISCBS
5×1 Bury Your Dead
5×2 Family
5×8 Designated Target
5×12 Stakeout
5×14 Internal Affairs
5×18 Judgment Day 1
5×19 Judgment Day 2

A light Tiva season, “Stakeout” has the best repartee between Tony and Ziva.

Season 6

Ziva and Tony stand outdoors in NCISCBS
6×1 Last Man Standing
6×2 Agent Afloat
6×5 Nine Lives
6×8 Cloak
6×9 Dagger
6×22 Legend 1
6×22 Legend 2
6×24 Semper Fidelis
6×25 Aliyah

“Cloak” features the most heartening moments between Tony and Ziva.

Season 7

Ziva and David ride in an elevator in NCISCBS
7×1 Truth or Consequences
7×2 Reunion
7×4 Good Cop, Bad Cop
7×10 Faith
7×12 Flesh and Blood
7×13 Jet Lag
7×18 Jurisdiction
7×24 Rule Fifty-One

“Truth or Consequences” ranks among the all-time best Tiva episodes and should not be missed.

Season 8

Ziva stands by a woman outside in NCISCBS
8×1 The Spider and the Fly
8×4 Royals and Loyals
8×5 Dead Air
8×7 Broken Arrow
8×8 Enemies Foreign
8×9 Enemies Domestic
8×10 False Witness
8×19 Tell-All
8×20 Two-Faced
8×23 Swan Song
8×24 Pyramid

“Enemies Foreign” and “Enemies Domestic” focus on Ziva’s relationship with her father.

Season 9

Ziva holds a coffee cup in NCISCBS
9×1 Nature of the Beast
9×5 Safe Harbor
9×10 Sins of the Father
9×12 Housekeeping
9×13 A Desperate Man
9×15 Secrets
9×18 The Tell
9×20 The Missionary Position
9×24 Till Death Do Us Part

“Housekeeping” marks the pinnacle of Tiva’s Season 9 relationship.

Season 10

Ziva looks at Tony in NCISCBS
10×1 Extreme Prejudice
10×4 Lost At Sea
10×6 Shell Shock 1
10×7 Shell Shock 2
10×8 Gone
10×10 You Better Watch Out
10×11 Shabbat Shalom
10×12 Shiva
10×13 Hit and Run
10×14 Canary
10×20 Chasing Ghosts
10×21 Berlin
10×22 Revenge
10×23 Double Blind
10×24 Damned If You Do

The two-part “Shell Shock” episode and “Chasing Ghosts” are unmissable Tiva episodes.

Seasons 11-17

Tony and Ziva stand in a bar in NCISCBS
11×1 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
11×2 Past, Present, Future
11×3 Under the Radar
11×5 Once a Crook
12×6 Parental Guidance Suggested
13×23 Dead Letter
13×24 Family First
16×13 She
17×1 Out of the Darkness
17×2 Into the Light
17×10 The North Pole
17×11 Into the Wild

“Dead Letter” and “Family First” are essential Tiva episodes that also introduce Tali and feature Tony’s fond farewell. NCIS is available to stream on Paramount+.

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