NCIS Shocker: Michael Weatherly Returning As Tony DiNozzo For Season-Long Arc

Brace yourselves, "NCIS" fans: An old friend is rejoining the team.

Michael Weatherly is returning to the hit CBS procedural next season, reprising his role as Tony DiNozzo in a season-long arc, TVLine has learned. Weatherly confirmed the news in a video posted to the show's official Instagram, laughing and saying, "I'll see you in the fall." ("NCIS" returns this fall for Season 24, airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ahead of new spin-off "NCIS: New York.") 

Weatherly was an original cast member when "NCIS" debuted on CBS back in 2003, starring as brash field agent Tony DiNozzo for 13 seasons. He left the show in the Season 13 episode "Family First," with Tony resigning from the team to raise the daughter, Tali, he shared with fellow agent Ziva David. Weatherly later returned as Tony in Season 21 for the funeral of beloved medical examiner Donald "Ducky" Mallard (played by the late David McCallum) in "The Stories We Leave Behind."

Last year, Weatherly reunited with "NCIS" co-star Cote de Pablo, who played Ziva, for the Paramount+ spin-off "NCIS: Tony & Ziva," which saw Tony and Ziva co-parenting their daughter in Paris before getting involved in international intrigue. (Read our finale recap here.) The show, though, was canceled after just one season.   

Weatherly's not the only "NCIS" alum returning to the franchise, either: Mark Harmon will reprise his role as Gibbs next season on the CBS prequel spin-off "NCIS: Origins" in a season-long arc.

Tony's return brings up one big question, though: Is he taking over for the late Leon Vance as the team's new director? (Vance was killed off in the show's milestone 500th episode last season, with co-star Rocky Carroll leaving the series after 18 years.) Vance's death left a void that has yet to be filled on the show, and the show's cast and crew hinted that someone we already knew might come in to fill his shoes.

"My preference, I'd like to see a familiar face," Brian Dietzen, who plays Jimmy, told TVLine in April at the annual CBS Fest in Los Angeles. "Especially with all the tumult of losing Director Vance, I would like to see a familiar face there, so that we kind of know what our bearings are."

"NCIS" showrunner Steven D. Binder admitted that they were considering a number of options for the new director: "We're going to keep our ear to the ground, and if a casting opportunity comes our way, we're going to take it." He added, "Now if we can find a way to have a director who's also really involved in the cases somehow, that might be interesting." 

What do you think of Tony's return, "NCIS" fans? Would you want to see him as the new director? Hit the comments to share your thoughts!