What Did Cote de Pablo Do After Leaving ‘NCIS’: Was She Successful?

Cote de Pablo was one of the most beloved NCIS characters for seasons on end. Joining the cast as Sasha Alexander’s replacement, de Pablo had a tough road ahead of her. She had to live up to her predecessor’s expectations without mimicking Alexander’s performance. Yet, de Pablo quickly grew on fans as Special Agent Ziva David (a former Mossad officer turned member of the NCIS Major Case Response Team).

From 2015 until 2013, Ziva David boasted a slow-boiling romance with Michael Weatherly’s DiNozzo and a father-daughter dynamic with Agent Gibbs (Mark Harmon). She was a pivotal character, consequential to several long-gestating narratives arcs. Yet, she departed the series in 2013, and many thought she would never return. Yet, what did the actress do after NCIS before returning for the final moments of season 16?

Cote de Pablo starred in ‘The Dovekeepers’ in 2015 

The Dovekeepers was a historical TV drama based on Alice Hoffman’s novel of the same name about The Siege of Masada. The show follows four incredible women whose lives intersect as they and hundreds of other Jewish individuals fight for their survival in a fortress atop a mountain in the Judean desert. 

While the plotline was quite dramatic and heart-wrenching, the TV show failed to live up to the source material. The miniseries confronted critical condemnation. De Pablo was a lead actor in the series, and it was one of her first major productions outside of NCIS, which was not too promising for the former NCIS star’s career post-TV phenomenon. 

Cote de Pablo also starred in ‘The 33’ in 2015 

While de Pablo is widely recognized for her performances on the small screen, she did try cinema on for size as well. She appeared opposite Antonio Banderas in The 33. 

The 33 tells the real-life story of 33 miners who were trapped underground for 69 days when a gold and copper mine collapses. As was the case with The Dovekeepers, critics and audiences were not too pleased with the movie, noting its formulaic approach as a major drawback to the true-to-life heroism on display, as Rotten Tomatoes explains. 

Cote de Pablo starred in 2016’s ‘The Prototype’

The Prototype was a TV movie about three unlikely cohorts who accidentally stumble upon an invention that challenges the very nature of quantum physics, as IMDb notes. Unfortunately, the discovery is not all it’s cracked up to be, for it puts all their lives in danger. De Pablo portrays one of the main characters in the show — Laura Kale. 

De Pablo also appeared in 2019’s Seneca and the 2019 short The Crossing. Though De Pablo managed to snag a few roles outside NCIS before reprising Ziva David, many of the appearances failed to receive the acclaim NCIS is accustomed to. Critics and audiences alike bashed some of her major productions. While Cote de Pablo brought her A-Game, not much can compensate for weak writing and poor dialogue, which befell several of her performances. And, some of her performances, unfortunately, went largely unnoticed.