NCIS: Tony & Ziva just had a first for the entire NCIS franchise that joins a strange trend of shows that jump from network to streaming. It's all about making the shows a little more adult.
The key reason why TV producers are more tempted by streaming these days is the freedom it offers. Streamers are more lax than network executives on creative ideas, and the writers and producers aren’t stuck crafting episodes to fit into 42 minutes and commercial breaks.
A jarring moment for NCIS fans in Tony & Ziva
That was a draw for NCIS: Tony & Ziva as it finally premiered on Paramount+ on Thursday, Sept. 4. The long-awaited reunion of Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) was worth it, as the first three episodes showed the pair forced on the run when someone frames them for a major cyberattack.
The chase for answers also involves flashbacks to the pair reuniting in early 2020 and what changed them from lovers to just co-parenting their daughter, Talia. It was a good start for this show that reminded fans what made the pair so compelling.
Yet for longtime NCIS fans, it was jarring when, during the first act, Tony meets some cybersecurity workers and one of them drops an “F-bomb” into the conversation. That’s later followed by more cursing from the two leads, a drastic change from the usual “damns” of the CBS airings of the show. While it's jarring, it also shows NCIS is joining a unique trend of shows that go from network to streaming.
Why do shows jump to cursing when jumping to streaming?
Since so many formerly network TV shows move to streaming, it’s become almost a tradition that their first episodes have them breaking loose from the cursing restrictions of network TV. One of the first examples was Designated Survivor, which aired its first two seasons on ABC. When season 3 premiered on Netflix in 2019, characters were soon dropping notable curses on camera.
CBS shows have really followed this trend heading to Paramount+, as evidenced by SEAL Team and Criminal Minds, both of which wasted no time with characters cursing and more graphic violence. Law & Order: Organized Crime did the same when its fifth season ran on Peacock after four years on NBC.
Interestingly, one show that bucked this trend was Lucifer, as with a few minor exceptions of language and mild nudity, its last three seasons on Netflix weren’t much different in tone than the first three on Fox.
The reasons behind this move to cursing can vary. For the most part, it’s just the writers taking advantage of streaming freedom to go ahead and have characters swear to tell fans that this won’t be quite the same show anymore.
There’s also how it makes scenes feel more lifelike with people not saying “freaking” or “jeez” but their more common equivalents that a CBS show couldn't use. It can fit the property as SEAL Team showcases how military veterans would have no trouble using salty language.
With Tony & Ziva, it can be a fun showcase of the duo’s personas. Tony is still a bit more laid back and even seems hesitant to use foul language as a father. Ziva, on the other hand, lets her temper get the best of her, so no qualms dropping such curses at any time (and the irony that’s one aspect of English she can handle).
The episodes also featured the pair in some steamy love scenes that would likely never have passed the censors for CBS. This was combined with more violent action scenes, although still the quirky charm of NCIS throughout.
So while it may be a bit jarring to fans at first, there’s no worries that NCIS is suddenly turning into an HBO show with non-stop curses. Instead, it’s just a quirky trend for shows jumping from network to streaming in utilizing the freedom for some fouler yet more realistic language.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva airs new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+.
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