Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Sydney episode “Hearth within the Gap” are forward!
Tuuli Narkle’s Evie Cooper and Sean Sagar’s DeShawn Jackson have been entertaining to look at collectively on NCIS: Sydney. This was most not too long ago proven on the 2025 TV schedule on this previous Friday’s episode, “Hearth within the Gap.” Whereas talking with CinemaBlend, Sydney showrunner Morgan O’Neill defined why these characters make such an awesome pairing, and that included him referencing Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David from the unique NCIS.
NCIS: Sydney, which airs on CBS in the USA and might be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription, kicked off its second season final week with a significant reveal about Mackey’s previous and a few extra teases for the massive unhealthy will meet later within the season. In Season 2’s second episode, Evie and DeShawn snuck aboard a pirate-themed celebration ship that’d been taken hostage by the Sons of the Sovereign Soil, which had a bone to choose with the United State Navy’s presence in Australia. After viewing “Hearth within the Gap” early, I requested O’Neill throughout my interview with him about what he preferred most about writing these two characters collectively, and he began off by saying:
Look, Evie and DeShawn are… there’s a complete bunch of templates for that form of character dynamic throughout the franchise. DiNozzo and Kate, DiNozzo and Ziva again within the early days, are actually good contact factors for these two, as a result of initially these relationships begin out sort of antagonistic, specifically with, with Kate. It felt like we had brother and sister dynamics occurring, which, within the context of an Australian and American working collectively, is extraordinarily enjoyable.
Tony and Kate did certainly have an amusing brother/sister dynamic, although that was sadly reduce quick when Kate was murdered within the NCIS Season 2 finale. Ziva David inherited her spot on the workforce in Season 3, and whereas they too would bicker like siblings in these early NCIS years, their relationship blossomed into one thing romantic by the point Ziva exited as a collection common in Season 11. Now these two have a daughter and can quickly be main their very own streaming-exclusive spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
Evie and DeShawn positively fall beneath the sibling class in NCIS: Sydney, particularly relating to the previous poking enjoyable on the latter. Morgan O’Neill continued throughout our dialog:
Evie’s mission, other than fixing crimes and kicking ass, is clearly to do every part she will to get beneath DeShawn’s pores and skin. She relishes how he makes himself such a goal for her ambition to take the piss, as we are saying out right here. And DeShawn’s pure curiosity, and the truth that he’s this sort of American Paddington Bear character, makes him such an ideal mark for Evie.
DeShawn was injured throughout the occasions of “Hearth within the Gap,” however when Evie, who can’t swim, tackled the principle baddie off the ship earlier than he might shoot JD and fell into the water, he dove into the water to rescue and resuscitate her. One thing like that’s certain to deliver these two nearer collectively, and O’Neill not solely confirmed as a lot to me, but additionally talked about that Tuuli Narkle and Sean Sagar get alongside splendidly:
Over and above the truth that the characters are such enjoyable on display screen, you’ll be able to inform that Sean and Tuuli, who play these two characters, actually, actually vibe off each other. They’ve numerous enjoyable in these scenes as a result of that is how they’re in actual life. So the extra that that sort of private chemistry sparks, the extra we lean into it as a result of there’s an never-ending pool of enjoyable available with these siblings bickering. They actually care about each other, and I believe you see the evolution throughout the season. And positively in Episode 2, you’ll be able to’t assist however really feel like there’s a actual emotional bond between them, and that solely will get stronger all through the season.
New episodes of NCIS: Sydney air Fridays at 8 pm ET on CBS stateside, in order Season 2 progresses, we’ll see simply how Evie and DeShawn turn out to be even tighter. Personally, I hope the 2 of them preserve their sibling-like dynamic relatively than come wherever near the place Tony and Ziva ended up.