The big NCIS celebration and the airing of the 400th episode of the popular crime procedural had to be postponed after season 17 was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many questions remained unanswered, but season 18 is set to continue with some stories.

In an interview with CarterMattNCIS producers Frank Cardea and Gina Lucita Monreal have now revealed first details about the upcoming 18th season of NCIS.

NCIS Season 18: Could "Ziva" and "Tony" return?

Last season, NCIS fans were delighted to see "Ziva" (Coté de Pablo, 40) return to the set, while her eventual off-screen reunion with "Tony" (Michael Weatherly, 51) left many viewers disappointed. Monreal reveals that she herself was interested in clarifying some questions about "Ziva's" exit in season 17.

Cardea said: "I would love to see that explored more in the future, and find out where she and Tony are." And the duo seems to be in agreement, since Monreal added: "There’s always more story to tell." That truly sounds promising!

However, they have not revealed what a comeback of "Ziva" and "Tony" would or could look like. They also emphasized that having actress Coté de Pablo back on the NCIS set was a pleasure and a great experience.

Michael Weatherly, Mark Harmon and Cote de Pablo

NCIS Season 18: Episode 400 is coming up!

NCIS' season 18 will also see "Gibbs" (Mark Harmon, 68) no longer being the "Cowboy", and the biggest milestone of the crime procedural, the 400th episode, is also coming up! According to TVInsider, the episode will reveal to the fans how "Gibbs" first came into the NCIS world and how he met his long-time colleague "Ducky Mallard" (David McCallum, 86).

In the 18th season, the producers also want to play around with potential romances between the characters. According to Cardea and Monreal, fans can probably look forward to more interaction between "Gibbs" and the "Sloane" (Maria Bello, 53) as well as "Bishop" (Emily Wickersham, 36) and "Torres" (Wilmer Valderrama, 40).