NCIS’s New Spinoff Is At Risk Of Falling Short Of Major Streaming Milestone

NCIS: Tony & Ziva is in danger of slipping out of the Top 10 TV shows on Paramount+. The latest entry in the NCIS franchise debuted on September 4. Fans returned to Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo and Ziva David’s story just as Tony’s security firm was attacked. The former couple, along with their daughter Tali, are now navigating a dangerous situation.

Per FlixPatrol, the spinoff’s three-episode premiere was widely viewed. The show landed at #2 in the United States and the United Kingdom when it was released, and ranked in the Top 10 in several different countries. However, it’s since fallen to #7 in the U.S. and is #9 worldwide on Paramount+, suggesting that viewership is cooling faster than anticipated.

A slip this large leaves NCIS: Tony & Ziva vulnerable to further decline in viewership and a possible fall entirely out of the Top 10 before the series completes its first season.

What NCIS: Tony & Ziva’s Dip In Viewership Says About The Spinoff

NCIS: TONY & ZIVA, from left: Michael Weatherly, Max Osinski, Cote de Pablo, ‘No Country is Safe’, (Season 1, ep. 101, aired Sept. 4, 2025). photo: Marcell Piti / ©Paramount+/CBS Studios / Courtesy Everett Collection

Led by two fan favorite characters from the flagship, the action drama was expected to do well from the outset. This wasn’t only because the show gives longtime fans an update on Tony and Ziva’s relationship, but it also takes them along for the ride on a whole new adventure.

The premiere sets up what viewers can expect, which is two co-parents who’ve broken up but still have chemistry. Now that they’re working to prove Tony’s been framed for a crime, the show will build up their romance as they get down to the bottom of who is targeting them. Viewers uninterested in that story have likely decided to move on.

But the slide in viewership doesn’t mean the series won’t regain its footing over the course of its 10-episode first season run. The finale streams October 23, leaving NCIS: Tony & Ziva room to improve in its rankings.

Our Take On NCIS: Tony & Ziva’s Dip In Viewership

Image via Paramount+

Based on ScreenRant‘s review of NCIS: Tony & Ziva episode 4, “Wedding Crashers,” it’s possible viewers were put off by the flashbacks in the opening episodes of the spinoff. While jumping back and forth between the past and present established how Tony and Ziva’s relationship has changed since fans last saw them, it also made for a lot of world-building upfront.

With the necessary plot elements explained, and the show now rooted in the present, viewership could see an increase as viewers learn they won’t have to sit through a non-linear story. Flashbacks are a hit-or-miss storytelling device that can become tedious when done too much or as a shortcut to explain present-day motivations.

NCIS: Tony & Ziva is an action drama, which means it needs to maintain its momentum to hold its audience. If the show charges forward instead of looking back, it’ll have the chance to win viewers over. So far, it’s doing so, as it’s gone from a Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 68% to 82% since its premiere at the time of writing.