Ziva’s Original NCIS Replacement Talks About Returning On A Regular Basis: “She Has A Lot To Offer”

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As a huge NCIS fan, I was so thrilled to see Roma Maffia return as Vera! It really reminded me how much we all missed Cote de Pablo after she left as Ziva David back in season 11. Her departure felt like the end of an era, and honestly, it created a real challenge for the show. CBS knew right away it would be incredibly tough to find someone who could bring the same energy and fill her role.

It took NCIS a while to find a lasting replacement for a female detective on Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ team, ultimately introducing Ellie Bishop. Before Emily Wickersham became a regular cast member, the show briefly featured Vera, played by Maffia, as a temporary stand-in for Ziva. Twelve years after first appearing, Maffia returned as Vera in season 23 of NCIS for a crossover with NCIS: Origins. What happens to Vera after that remains a mystery.

Maffia recently told TVInsider she’d love to see her character, Vera, appear more often on the main NCIS show. She praised the writers for creating such a well-developed character and believes Vera, as Mike Franks’ former partner, could be a valuable addition to the team. You can find her complete statement below.

“I told them, she needs to be back on a regular basis.

It’ll probably take Vera a couple of minutes to fully readjust and get back into the swing of things – maybe start making a cup of tea. She’s definitely motivated and seems to have rediscovered her enthusiasm. While she won’t be physically chasing suspects like she used to, her experience and sharp instincts will be a real asset to the team, and she still has a lot to contribute.

She might be waiting for a phone call, another visitor, or even for the police to arrive with an arrest or a search warrant – really, for anything the authorities might bring.

I really enjoy her comedic timing and the show’s realistic, relatable writing. I’d definitely tune in to watch it.

Vera was almost retired when we first met her. While she did eventually retire, a cold case from her time working with Franks at NIS pulled her back into field work. She enjoyed solving the case, but made it clear she preferred the relaxed lifestyle of retirement. This complicates things if someone, like Maffia, wants her to return to active duty, though it’s not out of the question.

Bringing Maffia’s Vera back into the fold is tricky with the current state of the MCRT. One option is for Director Vance to use her as a consultant, calling on her expertise for especially sensitive cases. This allows her to reappear without needing a complicated explanation. Another possibility is that she could be the link between the MCRT team and Gibbs, now that she’s suggested they’ve been in touch since her visit to the Navy Yard.

Having Vera appear more often would be a major benefit, primarily because she can link the original NCIS series to its prequel, NCIS: Origins. With Gibbs and Franks no longer with us, she’s the only character from the prequel who can be involved in current NCIS storylines without revealing secrets about the prequel’s past. This connection could help NCIS: Origins succeed in the long run, given how popular the original series remains.

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2025-12-01 18:08