WARNING: This article contains spoilers for NCIS season 16 that may influence your enjoyment in discovering the plotlines. Read at your own risk.
Cote de Pablo has returned to the set of NCIS season 17 this week to film her scenes as the former agent Ziva David. Unlike her top-secret appearance during the season 16 finale, De Pablo's return to the set this time around has been a highly anticipated moment for both fans and cast of the long-running series.
Actress Diona Reasonover (as Kasie Hines) announced on Instagram that they are pretty much working on the episode with De Pablo this week. She uploaded a video of the actors' scripts and one of which was marked "Ziva."
A week ago, actor Wilmer Valderrama also confirmed on his social media that they had started work on NCIS season 17. He posted a photo of their very first table read, and while De Pablo was nowhere in sight, the actor said the new season would be on fire because of her presence.
The only character to see Ziva return to NCIS so far is Jethro Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon). He came face-to-face with her in the final moments of NCIS season 16, which aired last May.
But fans think Ziva's appearance on NCIS season 17 is only the mind playing tricks on Gibbs. As viewers of the show know, her character supposedly died in the season 13 finale, which aired in 2016 so it's highly possible that Gibbs saw Ziva's ghost or have been hallucinating her.
The writers won't say much about Ziva's upcoming storyline except to confirm that De Pablo will be in one episode of NCIS season 17 only. There are no plans for her, for now, to re-list her back as a series regular.
"We are thrilled to share that Cote de Pablo will guest star in the NCIS season 17 premiere this fall as Ziva's warning to Gibbs unfolds," said the showrunners via E! News.
De Pablo left NCIS long before her character's "death" in 2013. She told TV Guide back then that the decision was a personal choice. She did not have to think long and hard about leaving the show and had never planned on pushing through with it. However, the thought of doing something different excited her after doing NCIS for eight years.
Meanwhile, CBS has confirmed that NCIS season 17 will begin its run on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 8:00 p.m.
