NCIS Season 12 will not start filming until the end of July leaving many fans questioning whether or not Cote de Pablo's role will be reprised. Although, there are no indications that Ziva David will return next season, showrunner Gary Glasberg assured fans that the character remains alive.

Glasberg told TVLine, "A lot of people have approached me about the idea of not shutting the door entirely on [their staying in touch], and I'm not opposed to it, but it has to be done in a way where it feels organic to the storytelling and we're not just throwing in lines about Ziva here and there."

In addition to Cote de Pablo's absence from the show, NCIS has started to cast actors for Gibb's second wife. Rumor has it that his wife, after Diane, will appear on the show to accompany Leroy while he grieves for the death of Jackson Gibbs.

In his interview with New England Golf Monthly, Rocky Carroll explained how the show's schedule is organized and provided fans with an idea on when they can expect Season 12's premiere date.

"We begin shooting the end of July and wrap up our 24th episode the end of April. It takes eight business days to film one episode," Carroll said. "Our normal day runs from 12-14 hours, but it really doesn't feel like work to me because I truly love what I do. I'm sure you could line up people from one end of the country to the other who would also like to be in my position, working 14 hours a day to make a TV show," he added.