Coté de Pablo played the role of Ziva David at the beginning of the third season of NCIS. Her character was a special agent for the Israeli secret service Mossad and was transferred to NCIS. There she began a romantic relationship with Anthony DiNozzo. But in season 11 she left the series again. Since then, she has only made brief guest appearances and has not yet made a full comeback.
It was a surprise to many viewers that Coté de Pablo left the series after so many years. That’s why fans were puzzled about it Circumstances of exit. We’ll give you these ultimate explanation for Coté de Pablo exit from NCIS.
You will find out in this article:
This is how Coté de Pablo’s exit went: David McCallum was critical of her departure
Coté de Pablo was on NCIS from the first episode of Season 3 to the second episode of Season 11. So she played for nine years before deciding to leave. Her departure was voluntary: Coté de Pablo decided not to extend her contract in 2013. CBS tried to get her to stay by giving her a raise. But all the effort didn’t help.
The late David McCallum, who played forensic pathologist Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard was unable to understand her departure:
There was frustration and anger that someone had simply abandoned us. I just don’t understand how a lead actress in a global series who is supposedly pursuing a career in acting suddenly walks away from such a gem and simply disappears a few days before production begins.
The problem: Coté de Pablo’s cancellation came a week before Season 11 was due to film, forcing producer Gary Glasberg to rearrange her scenes. But unlike David McCallum, both Gary Glasberg and fellow actor Michael Weatherly (playing Anthony “Tony” D. DiNozzo) understood their exit.
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Why Coté de Pablo left NCIS: She was dissatisfied with the development of her character
Our colleagues at SensaCine have already reported on the reason Coté de Pablo gave for her exit. She felt her role did not receive enough recognition:
I worked on Ziva for eight years and then I felt that the character wasn’t treated with the respect she deserved. they wanted [Ziva] send her back to Israel and make her an unhappy, miserable woman. I didn’t think that was fair. I told them I won’t come back until someone can write something really fantastic for Ziva.
CBS
The old NCIS team
That’s why Coté de Pablo decided to get out of NCIS. If her character does go through a development that she would be happy with, that could well lead to the actress returning.
This is how Navy CIS explains Ziva David’s exit
Coté de Pablo made her final appearance in episode 2 of season 11. The episode is titled Ziva’s List. In the episode there is a tearful farewell scene between Ziva and Tony: he returns to the USA to the NCIS headquarters, but she stays in Israel.
After this farewell scene, there were further mentions or appearances of Ziva:
In her final episode, Ziva receives a video of her daughter Tali pleading for her to return home. Ziva then flies back to her family in Paris. Tali and Tony are waiting for them there.
A return of Coté de Pablo in NCIS is possible: “I won’t say no”
Coté de Pablo has hinted several times that a return of Ziva David is within the realm of possibility. During her exit in season 11, she stated that she would come back if “someone can write something really fantastic for Ziva.”
The resulting story surrounding Ziva David was reason enough for Coté de Pablo to return in season 17. But for a complete return you would have to change some fundamental things in the series constellation. That’s unlikely to happen in the near future. But Coté de Pablo would return in several years “don’t say no”. According to film producer Frank Cardea, a full return depends on what development opportunity screenwriter Gina Monreal sees in the character Ziva David.
More on the subject:
During the NCIS break, Coté de Pablo appeared in a few films and series such as The Dovekeepers, Prototype and 69 Days of Hope. There are currently no known projects in which Coté de Pablo is involved. She may have enough time to get back into NCIS.