The majority of actors spend the majority of their lives just waiting for that breakout role, but unfortunately, most of them never get that role. That’s why, when an actor does experience a breakout, they try to stick with that role for as long as possible, milking those 15 minutes of fame before it fades. However, some actors are willing to take risks and go into uncharted territory. In fact, one of the most popular actors on TV did exactly this, leaving the well-known TV show she starred on as she skyrocketed to fame. Cote de Pablo, who achieved worldwide fame for her role as the popular Ziva in the iconic crime show “NCIS,” left the show in season 11. Today, she has her own “NCIS” spinoff, and ever since its premiere, people have been wondering: What happened to Cote de Pablo after she left “NCIS”?
Cote transforms into a star
The amount of competition in the TV world makes it very difficult for new television shows to succeed. However, “NCIS” has cemented its status as TV royalty with over 22 seasons on air and has become an instant classic, in turn transforming its key players into household names and instant stars. This is what happened with Cote de Pablo. She was brought on in Season 3 as Ziva Davis, a Mossad agent who ultimately joins NCIS’s crime-fighting team. She portrayed a character that was intelligent, tough, and had fantastic chemistry with the rest of the team (specifically Tony). However, in Season 11, fans were shocked when she left the show that made her so famous.
Why did she leave the show that made her so famous?
It was a surprising and saddening twist when Cote de Pablo made the decision to exit the show after Season 11. The reason was reportedly regarding how her character, Ziva, was written. While many of us had our fingers crossed that she would come back, fans lost hope after the NCIS team was told in Season 13 that she had been killed in Israel. While she eventually made a miraculous comeback, she used her time off to flourish in other career opportunities outside of “NCIS.”
Post-“NCIS” life
For most actors, leaving a high-profile show means switching to another series that has experienced success or making the shift into movies rather than TV. Cote de Pablo is highly selective about what projects she decides to work on, and as a result, she didn’t have as many roles as one would think after leaving “NCIS.” One of the shows she starred in was “The Dovekeepers,” a popular miniseries. Another was an award-winning film, “The 33,” which received much critical acclaim. She was set to star in several other TV shows, including a sci-fi series called “Prototype,” but they all ended up being canceled.
Making an epic comeback to her best role
Many thought it impossible for Cote de Pablo to return to the NCIS team after being killed off, so how exactly did she come back to the show? Writers added a twist that Ziva faked her own death to protect her family, which she admitted to Gibbs in the Season 17 premiere. At that point, it was revealed that she and Tony had gotten together and had a child that Tony was raising overseas. In this premiere, Gibbs admitted that he knew Ziva had been alive the whole time and was helping to protect her secret.
Ziva ultimately had a happy ending, moving to Paris to be with Tony and their daughter. Recently, the “NCIS” spinoff show “Tony & Ziva” premiered, with the premise of the two characters raising their daughter in Paris, at which point Tony’s security company is attacked, and the couple’s life turns into an action-adventure saga that takes viewers across Europe. It looks like fans are loving the show, so stay tuned for plenty more Cote de Pablo in the role that made TV lovers fall in love with her from the start!
