Tony and Ziva’s story came to an end in NCIS because the actors playing the characters moved on to new projects. While de Pablo left NCIS in season 11, Weatherly left the show in season 13. De Pablo returned in guest appearances in later seasons, but the rest of their story effectively happened off-screen.

The pair play Tony and Ziva, who are the lead characters in the latest NCIS spin-off series, NCIS: Tony and Ziva. Their characters notoriously have a slow burn relationship, and the pair later have a child together. Coming back to the show, after many years away, meant the actors needed to find their rhythm again.