Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David are fictional characters from the American police procedural drama NCIS. Tony is portrayed by Michael Weatherly, and Ziva, who first appeared in the third season, is portrayed by Cote de Pablo. Frequently referred to by the portmanteau "Tiva" (for Tony and Ziva), the characters' flirtation and the idea of them eventually beginning a relationship became a subject of interest among viewers, and by 2010, TV Guide reported that "many fans have become obsessed with the romantic tension". Focus and media coverage on the pair escalated over the years, particularly after NCIS became the most watched television series in America during its tenth season.
The characters were initially scripted as having a "cat and mouse" relationship, something that continues into the later seasons. The pairing develops at a slow pace throughout the series and is dealt a number of obstacles. This includes Tony's "commitment phobias", Ziva's trust issues, a series of other love interests, and Ziva being taken captive and presumed dead between seasons 6 and 7 after a serious breakdown in their relationship.
In the season 13 finale, Ziva is seemingly killed by a mortar attack arranged by former CIA Agent Trent Kort, and Tony learns that he and Ziva have a daughter, whom she named after her sister, Tali. These events drive Tony to leave NCIS to look for answers and to care for their daughter.
In the season 16 episode "She", it is revealed that Ziva is alive and had gone into hiding. It is also implied that Ziva may still be working as an investigator in some capacity. A note left for Eleanor Bishop asks that Bishop keep the secret for "the safety of my (Ziva's) family". Ziva then reappears in the season 16 finale, "Daughters", to warn Gibbs he is in danger after he takes down drug dealers. Ziva reveals that she faked her death and went into hiding to protect Tony and Tali, after learning that a powerful woman named Sahar with ties to her brother Ari wanted her dead. After eliminating Sahar and her associates, Ziva returns home to Paris to reunite with Tony and Tali in the season 17 episode "In the Wind".
Casting and concept
Michael Weatherly was cast for the role of Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo in 2003 and appeared in every episode of the show's first 13 seasons. The character is portrayed as "complex": he is a former Baltimore homicide detective with a "heroic spirit" as well as a "total dinosaur in terms of sexual politics".
In the second season finale, NCIS series regular Caitlin Todd was killed off after Sasha Alexander, who portrayed Todd, decided to permanently leave the show. Shortly afterwards, series creator Donald P. Bellisario voiced intentions to replace Todd with another female lead, whom he stated would be "someone foreign who brings a whole new attitude". He expressed hopes that the new character would be drastically different from Todd, who was "kind of uptight".
One aspect Bellisario wanted to change was the way the character would interact with Tony. Though Tony and Kate had a "wonderful dynamic", he ultimately thought that "[she] treated [him] like a big brother" and decided "to bring in a character that causes Tony to have to sit back and not quite be able to handle her".
Cote de Pablo, who was one of the last to audition, was set to perform opposite Michael Weatherly to test for chemistry. Weatherly improvised during the audition by brushing her hair back and commenting, "You remind me of Salma Hayek." De Pablo, who was initially upset by the departure from the script, stayed in character and "dismissed him completely". She later said in an interview, "He totally did it with the other [actresses]. One other girl sort of flirted back with him, and she was sort of open. Which is what actors do! They're sort of open. But I got lucky and got the part because I responded the way they felt was right."
According to Bellisario, CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves "took one look at her and said, Wow!" Co-executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson commented, "When you get actors who really listen and respond organically in the moment to what they're hearing, sometimes magic happens. They really seemed to get that immediately, and that doesn't always happen."
Producers eventually decided to make de Pablo's character, who was given "the arresting name of Ziva David", an Israeli agent. Bellisario had previously discussed possibly scripting her as European or Australian. She is introduced as having a soldier mentality and as "[someone] who was comfortable in her own sexuality and used to working with men on an equal footing".
Development
Early seasons Tony and Ziva first meet in the "Kill Ari" two-part story arc at the beginning of Season 3 during the manhunt for Ari Haswari, Kate's killer and Ziva's half-brother. Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo both point to "Under Covers", the eighth episode of that season, as the catalyst for the flirtation between the characters. The episode involves Tony and Ziva being sent undercover as a married couple, an assignment that requires them to simulate sexual relations in order to solidify their cover. De Pablo commented, "Michael and I talked about all of those scenes right before we did them. We had a totally different way of looking at it. In our minds, we thought the characters weren't faking anything. They just got carried away. Then all of the sudden after that, they saw each other in a different light." Weatherly discussed the creation of the "Under Covers" scenario:
At the time, Bellisario said that he "kind of [likes] what's going on now" and that it was unlikely that the relationship would be taken further any time in the immediate future. De Pablo agreed, saying, "I would think if the characters get together, the whole mystery would be done. I think it will be a lot more fun to play the tension." She elaborated in another interview, "My character has sort of this understated flirtation with Michael's character, Tony. She gets jealous, but I think she would never admit it or hook up with someone in the workplace. He scares her to death. He is the epitome of the American man and all of the things that come out of his mouth are brutally stupid."
Tony is renowned for his juvenile sense of humor and "commitment phobias" while Ziva is characterized as "a tease" early on, a factor that de Pablo enjoyed playing "because [she's] so not that in real life". Some aspects of Ziva's personality disturb him, such as the fact that she sleeps with a gun in her hand and snores very loudly. However, as co-workers, they respect each other despite their frequent exchange of sarcastic remarks. Both have had a string of failed romances.
Team leader Gibbs (Mark Harmon) resigns in Hiatus (Part II), the third season finale, and appoints Tony as his replacement. During the 2006 summer break, it was reported that Ziva would fall under suspicion of being a spy in the fall premiere, and in the opening episode, "Shalom", she is framed by the Iranian government for the murder of a terrorist in FBI custody and the two agents guarding him. When she initially goes to the Israeli embassy to report their deaths, which she witnessed, Mossad Officer Michael Bashan asks her directly, "Did you or did you not sleep with him?" In response to her confusion, Bashan tells her that he knows that Tony has been visiting her apartment at least once a week for the past three months and that Mossad officers have been spying on her, evidently on orders from her father, Mossad Director Eli David.
Throughout the episode, Tony vigorously defends Ziva's innocence to the FBI, as well as berating any agent who dares question her loyalty when her car is found at a bombing in downtown Georgetown. She is eventually cleared of all wrongdoing. Though Ziva never addresses Bashan's accusation and her relationship with Tony is left undefined, there is no overt romantic connection in subsequent episodes.
Shortly afterwards, Tony begins dating Jeanne Benoit (Scottie Thompson). His romance with Jeanne continues to progress throughout the year, and he remains tight-lipped about it when his colleagues notice the change in his behavior. When questioned about the effects this would have on Tony and Ziva's relationship, de Pablo commented, "Am I just being jealous? I don't know. I still love him very much, but I've sort of thrown away that possibility because I think he's really struggling with some immense feelings for somebody else." In an interview with Chicago Tribune, she clarified that Ziva "does have feelings for DiNozzo," but that she was uncertain that this would be addressed.
In the Season 4 finale, "Angel of Death", it is made apparent that Tony and Jeanne's relationship was orchestrated by NCIS Director Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly) in hopes of catching Jeanne's father, an arms dealer. Jeanne breaks it off following this revelation, and their storyline is ultimately given closure in the fifth season episode "Internal Affairs".
Bellisario stepped down as executive producer in May 2007 after series star Mark Harmon threatened to walk due to alleged "overly long production days", and co-executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson and head writer Shane Brennan took over afterwards.
Following the fatal shooting of Director Shepard in the fifth season finale, the NCIS team is disbanded by the new Director Vance: McGee is sent to cyber crimes, Ziva is returned to Israel, and Tony is deployed on an aircraft carrier.
Michael Rivkin and captivity in Somalia
Season 6 focuses more on Ziva and Tony, but leaves their relationship undefined. Gibbs manages to have Ziva and McGee transferred back to the team in the premiere, but Tony is still acting as agent afloat on the USS Seahawk. In the following episode, Ziva accompanies Gibbs onto the Seahawk as part of a murder investigation and notices that Tony has pictures of her in a bikini pinned up in his room. After the investigation is closed, his deployment is ended prematurely and he is allowed to return to the team in the conclusion of the episode.
As the season progresses, Ziva seems to have become involved with someone while in Israel but refuses to discuss it. In "Nine Lives", after she plans a visit to Israel, Tony looks through her desk and finds a picture of an unidentified man (Merik Tadros). Before she leaves, he tells her to have a good trip ("Nisiya Tova") in Hebrew, demonstrating that he had at least made some effort to learn that phrase. In "Cloak", Ziva disobeys Gibbs' orders to not engage during a war game, attacking the guards to defend Tony. Later they both say that they are "tired of pretending": Tony about the politics in the hunt for the mole within the team, which required the team to withhold information from each other, and Ziva for reasons undisclosed.
Producers and writers for NCIS were initially divided over how to proceed with Tadros' character. In January 2009, some were suggesting possibly making him a relative of Ziva, an idea Cote de Pablo opposed. It was also proposed that Ziva would "stop toying with [Tony] completely" which would "drive him even more insane". De Pablo relayed, "We're going to play around with the idea that it could possibly be real love, and see how [he] deals with it." In March, executive producer Shane Brennan stated, "You've got what you might want to call a triangle. It's a triangle with very, very pointy ends. Someone's going to get hurt." He continued, "Something tragic will happen to Tony. Something tragic will happen to Ziva as well."