Fan Favorite Makes Surprise "NCIS" Return
by Anita Bennett
May 21, 2019


Season 16 of CBS drama "NCIS" concluded Tuesday night with a surprise appearance by a former member of the cast.

The reveal came at the very end of the episode and showed the return of Cote de Pablo, who played Ziva David from 2005-2013. And it won’t be the last fans see of de Pablo.



“This surprise moment is just the beginning,” showrunners Frank Cardea and Steven D. Binder said in a statement. “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.”

To make sure the return remained hush-hush, the scene was never included in the script or call sheet and only the showrunners had copies of the scene.

https://deadline.com/2019/05/fan-favorite-makes-surprise-return-to-ncis-for-season-16-finale-1202620359/

How NCIS pulled off its Season 16 finale surprise (https://www.tvguide.com/news/ncis-season-16-finale-cote-de-pablo-returning-ziva-david-season-17/)

In order to keep Tuesday's surprise cameo a secret, the scene was never included in any script and a skeleton crew was used to film the special guest, who arrived via a back gate entrance after the rest of the crew had wrapped. "This surprise moment is just the beginning," said NCIS showrunners Frank Cardea and Steven D. Binder in a statement, announcing that the surprise will continue next season.