Tony DiNozzo is heading back to the Navy Yard. After years of guest appearances, spinoffs, and fans wondering if he’d ever return to the flagship series for good, Michael Weatherly is officially making his way back to “NCIS” in a major way this fall. Even better for longtime viewers, this won’t be a quick cameo. The original cast member is set for a season-long story arc during the show’s upcoming season, so get the details below in our “NCIS” spoilers.
‘Welcome Back, Old Friend’
CBS shared some big news for “NCIS” fans. Weatherly is set to return this fall to reprise his role as fast-talking, film-obsessed Special Agent Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo for Season 24.
CBS captioned the post, “we’ve missed this one… welcome back, old friend! 👋👋”
Weatherly was an original cast member of “NCIS.” He played the role of Tony DiNozzo for 13 seasons and over 300 episodes before exiting the show.
With his return, Weatherly will be joining current cast members Sean Murray, Brian Dietzen, Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law, Diona Reasonover, and Gary Cole.
“NCIS” recently celebrated its 500th episode. It’s currently the longest-running primetime drama on CBS and is the No. 1 TV franchise globally.
Tony ‘NCIS’ Spinoff
While Weatherly will be making a return to the original “NCIS” this fall, he did stay in the “NCIS” franchise after exiting the show the first time.
After his run on “NCIS,” Weatherly then starred in the spinoff “NCIS: Tony & Ziva” on Paramount+.
The spinoff only ran for one season, but it featured Tony living in Paris with his ex, Ziva (Cote de Pablo), and their daughter Tali. For the spinoff, he owned a private security firm in Paris, so it will be interesting to see how they relocate him to D.C. for this upcoming storyline on Season 24.
Fans React to Tony’s Return
It has been a big week for “NCIS” fans, as it was also announced that Mark Harmon would be starring full-time on “NCIS: Origins” in the fall and “NCIS: LA” star Christian Olsen would also be returning to the franchise. All good news, and fans jumped on social media to share their excitement.
One fan wrote, “WHAT?!?!? You better be bringing @cotedepablo with you! 😍,” while another added, “He MUST bring Ziva and Tali along! 🤞🤞🤞,” and a third fan wrote, “It better be both Tony and Ziva! They should haven’t canceled their spinoff 😭😭😭.”
While most were wanting Ziva to come with, one fan was worried about the exciting news lately, writing, “Anyone else getting a sink feelin? First Mark Harmon back for Origins now Micheal Weatherly back for NCIS it’s giving final series vibes😅.”
The love continued, as this person wrote, “I am so excited! My favorite character has always been Tony!,” and another fan added, “This news is a dream come true. I can’t wait!!!!,” and this fan wrote, “Yay. Gonna go back and watch it again 😂.”
“NCIS” Season 24 will premiere this fall on CBS in its Tuesday timeslot at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
