That Agent Ziva David has embarked on a dangerous, season-ending mission to avenge her father’s death while portrayer Cote de Pablo is the only cast member not yet set to return to NCIS in the fall is pure coincidence, says showrunner Gary Glasberg.

“I have absolutely no qualms telling you that this storyline” — launched by the double murder of Eli David and NCIS director Leon Vance’s wife Jackie — “is something I was talking about last spring,” Glasberg asserts to TVLine.

“No, that’s not a game that I play,” putting a character in jeopardy when an actor’s status is TBD, he adds. “My job is to creatively keep the show going and do the best job that I can, and let other people work that stuff out. I’m all about the show.”

When last we tuned into TV’s most watched drama, Ziva had covertly set out to find Eli Bodnar (played by Oded Fehr), the man she holds responsible for the deadly assault on Vance’s home. When the show returns next Tuesday to uncork the final four episodes of Season 10, “We send Ziva off, with Tony, on a clue trail that leads them to Berlin,” Glasberg previews. As things unfold, “This arc connects into the story that becomes the season ender and dovetails into what will propel us into Season 11.”

But will de Pablo be around for the already renewed next cycle? When series lead Mark Harmon inked a new deal for Season 11 back in February, it left the actress as the only series regular in limbo. (The last time de Pablo entered contract talks, in 2011, she didn’t re-sign until late April.)

“I actually have had very little input and interaction with [negotiations],” says Glasberg. “We knew that we had this whole Bodnar arc for the second half of the season, and we’ve all been very focused on that.

“I’m confident that things will work out [with de Pablo],” he continues, “and we’ll present the best finale that we can and go from there.”

And will this season’s finale — titled “Damned If You Do” and airing May 14 — be the sort that leaves Ziva and/or others in some sort of jeopardy? “There are absolutely issues that come up, situations that leave us asking, ‘How is the team going to move forward? How will things change within the team?’” the show boss teases. “I’m not going to let you down in terms of that!”

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Question: Now that it’s been confirmed that Muse Watson is coming back to NCIS as Mike Franks, can you give us some spoilers about why he’s there and what’ll happen with Gibbs? —Marla
Ausiello: Fortunately, Matt Mitovich just got off the horn with show boss Gary Glasberg, who explained that the Season 10 finale, titled “Damned If You Do” and airing May 14, presents “a situation where Gibbs has to really question, ‘How far is too far? How far can you push the boundaries? How far can the team cross the line?’ And in looking at things from a moral stance, in terms of what has happened over the years, things get internalized and we’re very fortunate to have the ‘conscience’ that is Mike Franks there for Gibbs to interact with.

Question: Do you have anything new on the NCIS front? –Cheryl
Ausiello: If you, as many do, see a resemblance between incoming guest star Colin Hanks and Sean Murray (who plays Agent McGee), Glasberg promises that “absolutely” will be addressed on camera. “There’s a terrific scene in ‘Double Blind,’ which is the penultimate episode, when McGee and Colin (playing a DoD snoop) meet for the first time. And it actually comes up again in the finale as well,” the showrunner shares. “We got a big kick out of it around here!”

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All hands on deck: A beloved JAG officer is poised to show up just when NCIS needs him most.

John M. Jackson will reprise his role of Judge Advocate General A.J. Chegwidden in the JAG spin-off’s 10th season finale, which finds a federal witch hunt threatening the future of Gibbs’ gang.

“We needed a lawyer, a really good lawyer, to assist Gibbs and the team in the finale,” NCIS executive producer Gary Glasberg tells TVLine exclusively.

Enter Chegwidden, now retired from the Navy, who will step away from his powerful D.C. law firm to help Gibbs & Co. in the episode. Glasberg calls the outing a “nail-biter which will hopefully leave fans stunned all summer long.”

Fans of JAG will remember Chegwidden as Mac and Harm’s boss – and sometime father figure – whose gruff demeanor belied a deep devotion to his team. He was in charge during the Season 8 episodes that introduced Mark Harmon’s Gibbs and served as NCIS‘ planted pilot.

Since leaving JAG in 2004, Jackson has guest-starred on series including Bones, Private Practice, CSI, Castle and Perception.
The retired Navy big shot is just one of the surprise guest-stars who’ll show up during the eventful season-ender, which airs Tuesday, May 14 (8/7c).

“Our NCIS team may never be the same again,” Glasberg adds.

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NCIS (8:00-9:00 PM)

The international manhunt for Eli David’s killer turns into a federal witch hunt against Gibbs and the team, which questions their unconventional methods and threatens their future at the agency.

Wow that NCIS ending was such a twist and for us to wait two more weeks is just cruel. What can you tell us about the next episode? Obviously Tony felt hurt and betrayed by Ziva, how does that play out? — Cheryl
Um, me thinks they’ll be just fine. Also, there’s a big scene in a *** that’s going to leave your jaw on the floor.

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NCIS | Now that we have a new, “out of this world” Mossad director in place — and given that the synopsis for the April 9 episode says, “Tony suspects that Ziva is planning a risky move to avenge her father’s death” — it looks like TV’s most watched drama is poised to pick up the thread of Eli David’s murder and his badass daughter’s calculated (proportional?) response. “I hope everyone’s ready, because the sprint to the end of season starts now,” showrunner Gary Glasberg affirms. “Ziva is about to uncover a clue trail that will lead straight to her father’s killer, put the integrity of the team at risk and bring her closer to Tony in ways we never saw coming.” Thus raising the burning question: Does the same clue trail lead to Cote de Pablo re-upping with NCIS, for Season 11…?

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AFTER ZIVA TRACKS A LEAD ON BODNAR TO BERLIN, SHE AND TONY HEAD OVERSEAS IN THE HOPES OF AVENGING HER FATHER’S DEATH, ON “NCIS,” TUESDAY, APRIL 23

“Berlin” – While the NCIS team investigates the murder of a Mossad officer in Virginia, Tony and Ziva depart for Berlin as they track her father’s killer, on NCIS, Tuesday, April 23 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

CHEAT TWEET: Will Ziva avenge her father’s death? Find out when Tony & Ziva travel to Berlin on #NCIS 4/23 8pm ET/PT

The April 6 episode of NCIS is getting a lot of buzz. What can you tell us about the episode, especially on the Tony/Ziva front? Can we expect some explosive moments with these two? — Cheryl
Explosive? In a literal sense, not so much. Incredibly sweet? Yes. (…and there’s more than one!) Also, prepare yourself for the ending. In one word: Cliffhanger. In three words: Oh. My. God.

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(Please note episode airs April 9th, not 6th.)

NCIS has been on the air for ten seasons now, which means the cast is well accustomed to the idiosyncrasies of filming a procedural drama. However, even after ten seasons, there’s still one member of the gang that has trouble remembering their lines.

ET recently visited the NCIS set for an episode directed by one of the show’s actors, Michael Weatherly (“Tony DiNozzo”), who previously directed an episode of his longtime series in 2011.

While Weatherly is typically a lighthearted, joking fellow, he took a serious moment to convey what an honor it is for him to direct the show once again.

“We all as a cast come together and have a great time, but when you’re a director, you get to see all the other departments,” Weatherly said. “…Everybody comes together, hundreds of people, and they make this show. As actors we get to be in front of the camera and goof around and present to you on ‘ET,’ but it’s hundreds of people that put it together. I’m always honored and deeply humbled to have the opportunity to direct this crew. It’s awesome.”

The always jubilant actor may have it in him to direct NCIS’ cast and crew, but he sometimes struggles to remember his lines, as revealed by Cote de Pablo (“Ziva David”).

“I think it’s Michael,” De Pablo said with a smile when asked which of her co-stars has the most trouble remembering lines, “but at the end of the day, what you see is really what you get. I mean, everyone’s at the top of their game”

Weatherly revealed that he has attempted to curb his forgetfulness by carrying around small cheat sheets in the palm of his hand with his lines written on them. He joked that he puts them on the head of his co-star when the camera can’t see.

Despite flubbing his lines every now and then, Weatherly remains a favorite amongst his co-stars, even when he is their boss as director.

“[It’s] fun. He’s very prepared,” said Pauley Perrette (“Abby Sciuto”). “He’s very pro at everything, but it’s also fun. The best thing about him is that he gets really, super excited about stuff.”

NCIS airs tonight at 8 p.m. on CBS.