Cote de Pablo was a key figure on NCIS, but while it’s impossible to imagine the shared NCIS universe without her, she almost didn’t play Ziva David. De Pablo would go on to portray the character from NCIS seasons 3 to 11, staying with the series several years beyond her initial six-year contract with the show. Ziva David would become one of the most beloved characters in NCIS history, inspiring the franchise to bring her back for a new series centered on her life: the spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva.

The original NCIS characters, Ziva David and Anthony DiNozzo, warranted their spinoff because their chemistry on the flagship series was magnetic. Their relationship built over many NCIS seasons, but it was revealed in the new podcast hosted by the NCIS stars, Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, that some pivotal moments happened outside the series and defined how the characters would interact with each other. Off Duty also revealed that Cote de Pablo thought her chances of getting the role were impossible, which would have changed the entire course of NCIS history.