Getty Pictured: Actress Cote de Pablo
Season 17 of NCIS premieres on September 24, 2019, at 8 p.m. ET/PT and 7 p.m. CT, on the CBS network. And, for months, there has been talk about the character Ziva David’s return. For those who would like to watch all the new episodes but do not have a cable subscription, there are still options for you.
If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of CBS on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming subscription services:
If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all CBS content (both live and on-demand) via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which comes with a 7-day free trial.
Once you are signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you then can watch CBS live on your computer via the Amazon website, or you can watch it on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
This service allows you to watch a live stream of your local CBS channel, as well as all of the CBS’ on-demand library. It is ultimately the same as the Amazon Prime option, only you’re watching through CBS’ digital platform rather than Amazon’s. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and then you can watch CBS live on your computer via the CBS website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other streaming device via the CBS app.
CBS (live in most markets) is one of 95-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle.
You can start a free 7-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of CBS on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch most shows up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, which includes CBS (live in most markets).
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of CBS on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which has most new episodes available after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
On the day of the NCIS season 17 premiere, actress Cote de Pablo appeared on the Rachael Ray show to talk about how her character comes back, though she didn’t reveal any spoilers. She mainly talked about how welcoming the cast was to her. She said that her coming back was top secret and she even had to sneak around on set, prior to her first appearance. She said that on her very first day of work, everyone had to sign nondisclosure agreements about the “mystery” guest actress. She said that both the old and new cast members made her feel welcomed. And, when she first came out to the set, all of the cast and crew clapped for her. She said it was like “going home again”.
Episode 1 of the new season is titled “Out of the Darkness” and the official plot description of the episode reads, “Ziva surprises Gibbs with a cryptic warning, prompting him to question why she remained underground for years while being presumed dead by family and friends.” The second episode is called “Into the Light” and is set to air on October 1, 2019. The synopsis of this episode states, “With their lives in danger, Gibbs and Ziva’s rogue investigation takes an unexpected turn when a possible terrorist plot is revealed.” For those unfamiliar, Gibbs is played by longtime NCIS star Mark Harmon and, according to Entertainment Tonight, their characters’ reunion is a bit tense, especially since Ziva was previously presumed dead.
The third episode this season is titled “Going Mobile” and it is scheduled to air on October 8, 2019. Its episode description states, “After the body of a Marine lieutenant is found hidden under an 18-wheeler, the team tracks the vehicle’s previous locations to pinpoint the crime scene and suspect; Sloane encourages the team to sit down and talk about Ziva’s recent reappearance.”
When talking about the decision to bring back Ziva and the details, executive producer Steven D. Binder told Entertainment Tonight that, “The story needed to be something that merited the return of this character and wasn’t just a cheap publicity shot. We, as a staff, spent quite a bit of time trying to find a story that fit. We wanted it to be full. We wanted to use the show’s DNA, something that touched on Cote’s entire run on the show — from the circumstances of her first arriving to things that happened with the character. We wanted to use that as the raw material. We had one final meeting with Cote where we discussed these things and whether it was something that she was interested in, and you know the answer to that.’
Ziva’s return is a big subject for the first part of the new season and she is set to appear in five episodes.