NCIS showrunner Steve D. Binder is shedding some light on what fans can expect in the upcoming Season 22, from where Jessica Knight will end up to the upcoming Tony/Ziva spin-off.
“We’ve set something up there, and I will point you toward our track record where ‘You never know,’” Binder told TV Line of Knight’s status. “We’ve had people look like they were going away and then it’s found out they weren’t going away, and then people who just disappear like Gibbs.”
He continued, “We do aim to please, and we think the audience will be satisfied with where they see this go. Sometimes that satisfaction is bittersweet and sometimes it’s just pure joy. You’ll have to wait to find out which one it’s going to be.”
“If we had ended it with, ‘What’s it going to be?,’ that felt artificial to those of us who won the debate. That’s what we’re going to hang our hat on? ‘Is she going to leave or not?’ And if she doesn’t leave, it’s going to seem like we cheated in a way,” he said of the decision to leave it up in the air. “It seemed more mature and more honest to take that next step and let the audience be pining for, ‘What’s this look like now?’ instead of ‘What’s it going to be?’ We want people to be wondering, ‘What’s next year going to look like?’ as opposed to, ‘Is she leaving or not?’”
Katrina Law, who plays Knight, also commented on her character’s status, teasing, “Hmmm…. Better tune in for that season opener!”
When asked about the upcoming Tony/Ziva spin-off and whether or not it will be mentioned on NCIS, Binder answered, “You know, that’s been a long-running creative process, going through several incarnations of things.”
“Let’s put it this way, I would love to,” he continued. “I would love to do that, and I don’t speak for Michael [Weatherly], but I have a feeling Michael would be up for anything like that. So, we’re all for it.”
A synopsis of NCIS: TONY & ZIVA states, “When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, trying 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.”
Movieguide® previously reported on NCIS: TONY & ZIVA:
The new NCIS spinoff NCIS: TONY & ZIVA has fans all abuzz.
“We’ve been talking about this story for many years, and now with John McNamara at the helm, we are ready,” said Michael Weatherly (Tony) and Cote de Pablo (Ziva). “The world of Tony and Ziva (and daughter Tali) promises to be an action-packed roller coaster fueled by love, danger, tears and laughter.”
“We also want to acknowledge and thank the fans from around the world who supported the ‘TIVA’ movement for years. To this day, they say hello in grocery stores and on the street to tell us how much these characters mean to them and ask what Tony and Ziva are up to now. This is for you!”
