NCIS fans are still rocked by the shocking death of Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) in season 23. That’s left the director slot open with a revolving door of people in the position. Fans are curious if a regular star will fill the role, and suddenly a surprising candidate has emerged!
Per TVLine and the show’s own Instagram page, Michael Weatherly will return for season 24 as Tony DiNozzo. It’s no cameo either, as it’s stated the actor is back for a “season-long arc.” This comes right after the word NCIS: Origins will have Mark Harmon returning full-time on screen as Gibbs.
Part of the show’s original cast, Tony caught on with her joking manner matched by his top investigative skills. That included his wonderful banter with Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), with Tony rocked when Ziva was seemingly killed. Learning she’d given birth to their daughter, Tony left NCIS in season 13 to care for the girl in Paris.
After time away for his own CBS series Bull, Weatherly returned to NCIS for a cameo in season 21 to honor Ducky’s passing. Weatherly and de Pablo reunited for the short-lived NCIS: Tony & Ziva series that had them on a wild adventure.
Obviously, having Tony back on screen is exciting to NCIS fans, and the question hangs whether this arc means he’s now taking over as the director or not.
Should Tony be the new NCIS director?
On paper, having Tony become the new director makes sense. He’s experienced with the team; he knows how to run an investigation, and he’s not above looking the other way for the team to get the job done. It would also be a nice bit of irony for Tony to become one of the “suits” he often railed against.
That does lead to an issue, as Tony isn’t exactly known as a guy who follows rules and regulations. He also struggles with authority, and it’s hard to see him settling into an office job. Tony is a guy who loves being in the field and amid the action, so a desk job isn’t right for him.
It’s also not hard to see this as just like Gibbs’ return in that it’s less about serving the storyline and more an attempt to inject energy into a frankly long-in-the-tooth show. Bringing back Tony strikes as “fanservice,” and if it ends up with him only being in a few scenes per episode, that seems a waste of time and Weatherly’s talents.
It is unknown if Ziva also drops by, as seeing them back together is fun. Yet that can also push more as "fanservice" than actually be good for the storyline and distract too much from the current cases. It's also difficult to see Ziva being okay with Tony in such a role of authority.
We’ll see how it unfolds, although seeing Weatherly and Tony back on NCIS in any capacity makes season 24 more exciting.
NCIS season 24 airs Tuesdays this fall on CBS.
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