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Of all the spinoffs to CBS's flagship TV series NCIS, it was the recent NCIS: Tony & Ziva that seemed the most prized (and poised for potential) to succeed. It was the first, and only, series starring any former main castmembers of the show (in Cote De Pablo and Michael Weatherly) - and two from the peak of the show's ratings success. But with all of that, it nevertheless was canceled just two months after its first season ended.

“We feel incredibly lucky to have had the chance to play these characters once again and to tell the next chapter of Tony and Ziva’s story,” Weatherly and de Pablo said in a joint statement. “Our deepest thanks go to our extraordinary cast, crew, writers, directors, and producers, and to our partners at CBS Studios and Paramount+ who helped make this dream a reality. But most of all, we want to thank the fans around the world who joined us on this adventure and finally got to see Tony and Ziva find their happily ever after.”

Back in October, I spoke with De Palbo and Weatherly at New York Comic Con and they seemed hopeful the series would continue well beyond just one season.

So why was NCIS: Tony & Ziva cancelled? It seems the big risk in all of this was deciding that NCIS: Tony & Ziva would be best launched on the streaming service Paramount+, and not on the CBS channel. While it is true that this series being exclusive to Paramount+ would put it in the prestige side of CBS programming alongside Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the Taylor Sheridan hit shows Landman, Tulsa King, and Lionness. 

And while NCIS: Tony & Ziva wasn't the first NCIS series debuting on Paramount+, taking second to NCIS: Sydney, it didn't have the silver lining that show in lower production costs and a quick pickup to bring it to CBS. By remaining a Paramount+ exclusive, NCIS: Tony & Ziva wasn't able to take advantage of the features airing on a broadcast network that CBS offers - such as a built-in audience, different commercial revenue structure, the ability to license it to other streaming platforms, and no doubt the big part of this: the financial support of the CBS network itself.

The central tenant of Tony and Ziva's relationship on the main NCIS show was about their connection but being unable to take the final step into true happiness together, but be left with the open-ended 'what if?' of their future. While they finally got together in NCIS: Tony & Ziva, perhaps its that part of their story - the 'what if?' - that remains the most memorable part for us fans, even if its a meta question of looking forward to a second season that will never happen.

Here's how to watch the NCIS TV shows in order.