During the Television Critics Association’s winter tour, Cote de Pablo appeared on a panel for the upcoming miniseries The Dovekeepers. The former NCIS star talked about her new project as well as the potential return of her beloved NCIS character, ex-Mossad operative Ziva David. The actress revealed that she is open for a return visit under the right circumstances, citing the fact that the NCIS showrunners never killed off her character in the first place. Cote also said that she felt her departure was a little rushed.

However, De Pablo added that she was pleased that her last scene was with Michael Weatherly who plays her love interest, Tony DiNozzo.

De Pablo said, “I think, all in all, I could not be more blessed, because I got to be with my love, Michael. And, any time you have scenes with Michael and I together, there’s going to be a spark and there’s going to be real honesty. For that, I am forever grateful because there was a sense of conclusion as far as what they felt for each other.”

Roma Downey, producer for The Dovekeepers, said that they wanted to air the miniseries after NCIS’ timeslot to capitalize on de Pablo’s fanbase. “We were thrilled to get Cote,” she said. “It’s no accident that our [premiere] date is a Tuesday night and we will come on after NCIS.” Downey hopes that de Pablo’s supporters will drum up support for the show, which is based on the bestselling novel by Alice Hoffman.

The miniseries as well as the source material is a period piece detailing the siege of Masada by Roman Empire troops as seen from the point of view of four women. De Pablo will be playing Shirah, a single mother accused of practicing witchcraft.

Aside from The Dovekeepers, de Pablo will also be seen on the big screen in the upcoming film The 33. The film, which is about a Chilean mining disaster, also stars Antonio Banderas and Juliette Binoche.