NCIS showrunner teases Tony and Ziva cameos in season 22

NCIS has had a strike a tricky balance as of late. The show has juggled the current cast, and current case load, with episodes and storylines that pay homage to the characters that came before. It was a balance that was especially crucial in season 21, given the death of Ducky (David McCallum) and the 1,000th episode special.

NCIS is broadening out as a franchise in the upcoming TV season, thanks to a pair of spinoffs, but while one of these spinoffs is set in the past, the other is set in the present day and will center around two of the franchise's most beloved characters: Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva (Cote de Pablo).

Steve D. Binder teased a Tony cameo in NCIS season 22

These two will headline a spinoff which sees them go on the run in Europe, but given the connective tissue that NCIS has had between its different shows historically, we're curious as to whether we will get to see Tony or Ziva pop up for cameos on the flagship show.

NCIS showrunner Steve D. Binder weighed in on this possibility during a recent interview with TV Line. He didn't give anything away in terms of plot, or provide a confirmation, but he made it clear that he's already considered a crossover of sorts.

He singled out Michael Weatherly as the most likely actor to make a return in NCIS' season 22:

"Let’s put it this way, I would love to. I would love to do that, and I don’t speak for Michael, but I have a feeling Michael would be up for anything like that. So, we’re all for it."

Binder is also open to an NCIS: Origins crossover

Binder did maintain that he doesn't have control over the Tony and Ziva spinoff, however, so whatever came together between the shows would have to be approved by the spinoff bosses. "I’m absolutely open to any ideas anybody has," he asserted. "They are totally welcome to show them to me and see what we can come up with."

The most surprising aspect of Binder's interview, however, is that he remained open to staging a crossover with the aforementioned spinoff set in the past, NCIS: Origins.

Despite taking place in the early 1990s, Binder assured fans that the writers could get "creative" in terms of syncing things up. "You would need to get a little more creative if you want something to cross over from one episode to another," he explained. "But that would be super-fun, too."

Do you want to see these more ambitious NCIS crossovers take place in season 22?