For the longest time, NCIS fans wanted to see Cote de Pablo return as Ziva David. Nobody really believed that Ziva was dead, and we got that confirmation in Season 17.
Ziva made her return to save Gibbs. It turned out that Ziva had faked her death and gone on the run. The people who were after her were now after Gibbs, and she returned to save his life. It led to Ziva finally being able to return to Tali, which offered her and Tony a chance to make up and build trust back.
Ziva didn’t return for Ducky’s funeral. At least, it didn’t happen on-screen. There was always a chance that she was somewhere off-screen for Ducky’s funeral. We do know that Tony and Ziva are still together, and there are options to bring de Pablo back in the series.
Cote de Pablo could be in NCIS Season 22 to kick-off the spin-off series
We do know that de Pablo is returning to the NCIS universe. She and Michael Weatherly will return in the spin-off series NCIS: Tony & Ziva. This series will see the two on the run with their daughter Tali in Europe as someone is after them.
One of the best ways to start a spin-off series is through a backdoor pilot. This is traditionally done to help see if there is interest in a spin-off series. Putting it on as a backdoor pilot captures the attention of current fans, and it can help bring in former fans who would like to see where their favorite characters are now.
The spin-off series doesn’t actually need a backdoor pilot to be picked up. We know the series is happening. A backdoor pilot is just a good way to kick the storyline off. We could see both DiNozzo and Ziva back to learn that they are in danger. They could even return later on in the series at the end of their show, with some sort of reveal as to who it was behind the attack.
Even if we don’t get a backdoor pilot, we know that Cote de Pablo is back as Ziva David. It may not be in the flagship series, but she will return in NCIS: Tony & Ziva.