Sep 10, 2013 08:55am

That was quite a summer.

I had planned on picnics, barbecues and weekend staycations. I did not plan on the departure of Ziva David. We’ve been very busy for the last couple of months making this work and handling the situation with the utmost care and delicacy. Now I’ve finally “come up for air” and I wanted to reach out to you, the greatest fan base in the universe, and fill you in on what’s coming, how we are feeling about all this, and assure you we’re doing some really terrific work and feeling confident about moving forward.

Let me start by saying, “Thank you.” We genuinely appreciate your letters and emails. I know Cote’s decision was a shock to everybody. Us, too. But we need everyone to remember that, in addition to being a professional family, we’re a television show, and change happens. Writers move on. Actors move on. Life, for some, interferes with work and then we rise to the occasion and adapt. Very often, extraordinary creativity comes out of adjustment. And so we find ourselves not dwelling on the past, but eager to guide you into the future of NCIS. Eager to show you that Season 11 can be a rollercoaster ride of new stories. Eager to share our excitement and enthusiasm of what’s to come.

Two hundred and thirty-four episodes ago, many of you tuned in to watch the first NCIS, “Yankee White.” Well, no matter how long you’ve been on this journey, we appreciate your dedication more than you can imagine. You are the reason this cast and crew continue to work so hard. We consider all of you members of “Team NCIS.”

So let’s go back to the elephant in the room: the departure of Ziva David. Like I’ve said multiple times, we respect Cote’s decision immensely and wish her all the best. The amazing resolution you’re going to see is pretty damn heart-wrenching and we’re incredibly proud of it. Prepare yourselves for a moment in television history. Images that will end up in the archives. I couldn’t be happier with how my NCIS family stepped up and did some of the most emotional work we’ve ever done.

Watch with us. Experience with us. It’s okay to be sad. But, then, don’t forget what we’re good at. We like to make you smile. We like to rock your world and leave you on the edge of your seat. We like to show you what the greatest team of federal agents is capable of. And all of that will happen in Season 11. And, as you’ve come to expect with me, there will be some surprises along the way.

In addition to starting off with Ziva’s departure, plan on going back to Baltimore again with Tony. Plan on learning more about his past and his views of the future. Meet some other agents, different fun characters, as they pass through our world in funny and fascinating ways. Watch Gibbs connect with his father, Jackson, in a memorable and extraordinary story of bravery and valor. Experience a stronger Vance bounce back from tragedy and move on with strength and compassion. Watch Abby call on good friends to solve a challenging mystery. See the boundaries of Ducky and Jimmy’s relationship pushed as they face complicated decisions. And, on a lighter note, Tweeters will enjoy watching McGee explain to Gibbs what a “hashtag” is.

We’re enormously proud of what we’re doing and what we’re planning. We can’t wait to share it with you, so strap in and get ready for the ride.

“Grab your gear.” Here we go.

Gary Glasberg, Executive Producer

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PREVIOUSLY ON… | In the wake of the deadly manhunt for Ilan Bodnar, DoD investigator Parsons went after Gibbs hard, citing a pattern of rule-bending behavior — while it was revealed to Vance that the CIA had in fact killed Arash Kazmi. Tony, Ziva and McGee tendered their resignations, while Gibbs got pulled into a top-secret op; in a four-month flash-forward, he was seen training a rifle on FBI agent Fornell!

COMING UP NEXT | The season picks up right where the finale left off, and over the first two episodes fills in the “missing” months, sheds light on Gibbs’ mysterious gig (“If he takes this mission, the slate for NCIS will be wiped clean,” hints show boss Gary Glasberg) and also paves the way for Cote de Pablo’s exit. (“I hope it’s as cathartic for the fans as it was for me shooting it,” says Michael Weatherly; read more about Ziva’s farewell story.) All of that “sets up the season, which has the thematic aspect of ‘unlocking demons’” both figurative and literal, says Glasberg, by introducing a “pretty interesting adversary that will carry through the season.” On the lighter side of things, giving a face to McGee’s new girlfriend Delilah (Big Bang Theory’s Margo Harshman) will tee up “terrific triangle stuff with Abby,” Palmer’s plan to adopt delivers some “twists and turns” and Glasberg has a cryptic “something fun” on tap for David McCallum’s Ducky later in the season, “But I’m going to hold off a bit before I say more about that.”

TVLINE BONUS SPOILER | Around midseason, NCIS will celebrate its 250th episode with “something that the show definitely hasn’t done before,” Glasberg teases. “It’ll be unique, I promise you that!”

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When Cote de Pablo wraps her eight-year run as Ziva David, it will by no means be the first, but rather the latest, of several major shifts that CBS’ NCIS has sustained since debuting almost 10 years ago.

As original cast member Michael Weatherly prepared to film his final scenes with scene partner de Pablo, he shared with TVLine his reflections on all that NCIS and Gibbs’ team have been through.

“I remember being with Cote at the end of Season 5, walking through the Mojave desert and into a diner and seeing Lauren Holly’s wax dummy in a pool of blood,” after Jenny Shepard had been killed by Russian hitmen. “I thought, ‘This is crazy!’” he recalls. “I didn’t see this coming at all. NCIS DiNozzo Jenny ShepardI mean, she’s the director of NCIS!

“And Mike Franks [killed by the Port-to-Port Killer in Season 8]…. Those were major changes,” the actor continues. “[Series creator] Don Bellisario leaving [after Season 4]? A major change. Again and again.”

And yet despite every shake-up NCIS has served up or survived, it stands as the most watched scripted program on TV today.

“We have great writers and a remarkable core DNA that Bellisario created,” Weatherly observes, “and somehow it’s so sturdy that it withstands all of these changes.”

As for how exactly NCIS will write out Ziva soon after its Sept. 24 opener, Weatherly is mum — “I can’t give away all the pinpoints,” he hedges with a smile — “but I found the first two episodes immensely satisfying. I was very surprised by the things I read in those scripts,” he shares.

Might those surprising elements involve some degree of payoff, if not closure, for the forever percolating Tony/Ziva romance? All signs point to yes.

“I think that for DiNozzo and for me as an actor, that ‘holding pattern’ has been incredibly fun to play — I love working with Cote, she’s awesome — but also it’s been eight years, and we haven’t dealt with it. It will be dealt with.” And with a resulting storyline for Tony that his portrayer has hailed as “the most exciting thing I’ve heard in a long time.” Says Weatherly, “I’m looking forward to seeing what the far greater geniuses have in store.”

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Any word on whether NCIS will bring back family members of the team? And if so, do you happen to know which? –Daniel
Thus far, both Ralph Waite and Robert Wagner are likely (though not double-secret confirmed) to again play pop to Gibbs and DiNozzo, respectively.

The way that TV’s most watched drama opens its 11th season is “classic NCIS,” says cast member Michael Weatherly.

In the season premiere “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” an explosion at a D.C. event results in a casualty connected to the agency, which in turn changes DoD investigator Parsons’ perspective on Gibbs & Co. “Colin Hanks (as Parsons) comes back for the first episode and really does a fascinating turn, which everyone, I think, will get a big kick out of,” says show boss Gary Glasberg.

Meanwhile, DiNozzo and McGee — without badges and with Ziva AWOL — investigate the explosion as civilians, despite the case’s threat to harm each and every one of them.

“The way that we are jumping off into this new season is classic NCIS — and by that, I mean it’s about change and turmoil, everything being turned inside-out and upside -down,” Weatherly reports, alluding to, among other things, castmate Cote de Pablo’s imminent exit from the role of Ziva. “If you’re a casual viewer, if you’ve watched every single episode, or if you, like, watched one episode with your Uncle Morty, you’ll want to watch this premiere and the first few episodes, because this season does something it’s never done before, and that is interesting.”

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Question: Anything new on the NCIS front? –Cheryl
Ausiello: If you are by chance among the McAbby fans who worry that Tim’s new computer geek girlfriend Delilah (played by Big Bang Theory brainiac Margo Hasrhman) will be some ersatz Abby, Gary Glasberg is here to set the record straight. “I’d like to believe that maybe he’s drawn to people like that and is intrigued by women like that, but I wouldn’t say that [Abby and Delilah] are that similar,” the showrunner tells us. “They have their differences, that’s for sure!”

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FOLLOWING AN EXPLOSION AT A D.C. BLACK-TIE AFFAIR, PARSONS ASSUMES A NEW ROLE WITHIN THE NCIS AGENCY, WHILE GIBBS’ TEAM REMAINS DOWN THREE AGENTS, ON THE 11TH SEASON PREMIERE OF “NCIS,” TUESDAY, SEPT. 24

Guest Stars Include Colin Hanks as Department of Defense IG Investigator Richard Parsons and Joe Spano as Senior FBI Agent T.C. Fornell

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” – An explosion at a D.C. event that results in a casualty connected to the agency changes Parsons’ perspective on Gibbs and the NCIS team. Meanwhile, without badges, DiNozzo and McGee investigate the case as civilians, despite the case’s dangerous ties to each of them, on the 11th season premiere of NCIS, Tuesday, Sept. 24 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Guest stars include Colin Hanks as Department of Defense IG Investigator Richard Parsons and Joe Spano as Senior FBI Agent T.C. Fornell.

CHEAT TWEET: Down 3 agents, Gibbs & Parsons must work together for the safety of the #NCIS team on season 11 premiere 9/24 8pm ET/PT

There’s a whole lot of shake up going on “NCIS” when CBS’ No. 1 drama returns for its 11th season, what with the departure of Cote de Pablo, who plays Ziva, after the first two episodes, and figuring out how to reinstate Tony (Michael Weatherly) and McGee (Sean Murray), who resigned in the finale in an attempt to save Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon) career.

“We are going to come out swinging and give everyone the best television we can, and hope that everyone enjoys what they see,” executive producer/showrunner Gary Glasberg told xfinityTV in an exclusive interview. “Part of what I want to continue and deliver to our fans is helping them deal with the shakeup of just feeling and remembering why we watch ‘NCIS.’”
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Truth be told, Glasberg gave us the inside scoop on what is happening storywise up until the holidays, who will replace Ziva, and what guest stars will be dropping by — some familiar faces and some new ones. So check out his answers to the burning questions of what lies ahead for Gibbs and company:

You earlier confirmed that Ziva would not die as part of her exit. What else can you reveal about her departure?

I can tell you that what was originally a one-part season opener for us, became two parts. That Ziva’s story, along with everything we are dealing with with Gibbs, starts in the first one and continues all the way through to the second one.

There are some really lovely fantastic moments between Tony and Ziva that I hope pay off for all the Tiva fans and provide the closure that they are looking for. They’re funny and heart-wrenching and give us a little bit of what people have been waiting for between them.

I am going to tell people to watch. They should watch and see where we go with it and, hopefully, they will be satisfied with what they get.

With Ziva having been the love interest that fans want to see Tony with, is there some point in this season that he will be able to have a new woman in his life? Or is it too soon?

That is a big gaping hole that is going to be left. I think we have to give Tony time to figure out what he wants from life, let him heal, let him move on and let change happen. Then we will see what Tony wants next. That is something that Michael is very involved with. There is a lot of talk and communication going on. It is actually an interesting process for us to think what the next step is for the character and how we are going to move forward.

Is the door being left open for Cote so there a chance in the future that she could return to the show — either as a guest star or rejoin the team?

I am not going to say the door is closed. We have lots of things planned for the future, lots of things planned for this season. So we will have to see where everyone is. I don’t know where the show will be. I don’t know where our cast will be. I don’t know where Cote will be.

This is a huge shift for us, a big change. It has taken a tremendous amount of work and emotion to get to the place where we are moving on. We are going to see what comes as these episodes unfold.

How will you go about finding her replacement? Will there be a lot of people in and out, or will you find someone right away? Are you looking for a fresh face, or an actress we might recognize, or a character we have met before?

We are going to have fun for some episodes and let some guests come in and fill that space. I don’t necessarily mean literally the space in the squad room, but have some fun with the dynamic of the team and, in Ziva’s absence, who can help us out?

We have a terrific role coming up right away with an agent who is on the verge of retirement, a woman who comes in and helps us out, named Vera Strickland (Roma Maffia). That was a blast. We had a lot of fun with that episode. We’ve got agent Abigail Borin (Diane Neal) from the Coast Guard coming back in. It is certainly with the idea floated out there: Could she be the one?

We are going to play with this idea of a rotation of characters coming through. We want to remind people that after going through this very difficult period at the beginning of the season, there is still fun and lightness and some smiles to be had with the dynamic of this group. Hopefully, when people least expect it, someone will walk through the door and surprise us.

We left Gibbs taking aim at someone — possibly his FBI counterpart. Is that where we pick up?

We pick up where we left off in May, and then, little by little, all of the details of how we got to that point start to unfold. Between the first episode and the second episode of Season 11, all of the details from the end of May through to the middle of September are laid out, and we really understand how we got to that point of Gibbs with the sniper rifle. We will really understand how and what exactly happened with Ziva, as well.

This mission is to wipe his slate clean. Are there repercussions from it?

On this show, there are always repercussions. There are always things that you didn’t see coming. There are always characters and new ideas that are introduced that help us throughout the coming season, as well.

All of that happens. Richard Parsons (Colin Hanks), the investigator, comes back. He plays a really significant and surprising role in the first episode. Then that continues all the way into the second episode, which really delivers on the Tony and Ziva front.

Is Parsons still pursuing Gibbs?

He is significantly frustrated by the fact that his investigation is over. Then he does a really surprising turn that opens his eyes to just what Team Gibbs can pull off.

It looks as if Tony and McGee will get their jobs back — even though they resigned to save Gibbs. When they come back, how will the dynamic on the team have changed, discounting the Ziva stuff?

You have to remember, these agents are very, very close and they are used to working in a certain way. That is part of the fun we are having in the episodes that follow. There is a definite void that exists, yet these guys have to keep working. Sometimes that void is filled by a guest actor, and other times it is Tony and McGee working with Gibbs and putting in overtime to make it all work.

How does Abby (Pauley Perrette) deal with Ziva’s departure? She is very attached to her teammates.

Ziva’s absence certainly resonates all the way through the department. It affects Abby, Ducky (David McCallum) and Palmer (Brian Dietzen). Everyone understands what this means and has an attachment to her. You have to remember. This isn’t the first time this has happened for that group. There is reference to Kate (Sasha Alexander). They have been down this road before.

There is a possibility that Palmer and his wife will adopt a baby. Will you explore that?

There is a significant storyline that is going to continue throughout the season and really take some emotional twists and turns. It is a nice little story that we are threading through, and, eventually, probably later in the season, it will have a more significant turn that we will deal with. It is definitely something that is going to get discussed for quite a while.

Anything interesting happening for Ducky this season?

I don’t know offhand yet. We have so much to deal with upfront at the beginning of this season.
There will probably be something along the way, but I am not ready to specifically tell you about it yet.

Any other guest stars you can talk about for this season?

We’ve got Ralph Waite coming back in a really emotional episode as Gibbs’ dad. Around the holidays, we will have Gibbs and Agent Fornell’s (Joe Spano) ex-wife (Melinda McGraw) come back. Later in the season, we will get a visit from Robert Wagner. Those are just the ones I know.

Jamie Lee Curtis?

No one loves Miss Curtis more than I do. I just don’t know if where we are storywise with everybody if that is something I am going to do right now. But I will never say no to that and the door is always open. She is a huge fan of this show, and we are huge fans of her.

That just leaves Vance (Rocky Carroll)?

Rocky has a fantastic holiday episode coming up. We are in the middle of talking about that. It will give us some insight into where Vance is in his personal life and how he is trying to move on as well.

Also, we have a new storyline with the SECNAV (Secretary of the Navy) that we are working on
and a prominent Navy character that we are bringing in, played by Leslie Hope.

Anything I missed?

Mike Franks (Muse Watson) comes back in an eye-opening, touching storyline that has some real resonance. These are flashbacks this time around. This is a story that took place in the past and resonates to something that is happening today. I think it is going to be a very impactful season.

Then there is a terrific episode — sort of a Part 2 to Baltimore, when we went back and learned about Tony. We are stepping back again and seeing a young Tony DiNozzo in a Baltimore-related episode.

“NCIS” premieres its 11th season on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 8/7c on CBS.

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Reminder that Season 10 DVDs came out yesterday!

You can find them on Amazon.com