Michael Weatherly returns to NCIS for season-long Tony arc
Michael Weatherly is returning to NCIS for a season-long arc as Tony DiNozzo in season 24, CBS confirmed on July 1, 2026. The fan-favorite special agent rejoins the mothership series this fall—about a decade after he left the flagship drama—and just months after Paramount+ canceled the NCIS: Tony & Ziva spinoff after one season.
The announcement landed during a banner week for the franchise. CBS had already revealed that Mark Harmon would appear as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in every episode of NCIS: Origins season 3. For longtime viewers tracking every Michael Weatherly NCIS season update, Tony's homecoming is the bigger headline.
"We've missed this one... welcome back, old friend!" the NCIS-verse Instagram account posted alongside a video of a smiling Weatherly in sunglasses. At the end of the clip, the actor added: "I'll see you in the fall."
Key Takeaways
- CBS confirmed Michael Weatherly will return as Tony DiNozzo for a full season-long arc on NCIS season 24.
- The comeback follows the December 2025 cancellation of NCIS: Tony & Ziva on Paramount+ after one season.
- CBS has not released plot details and declined to comment on a possible Ziva return by Cote de Pablo.
- Weatherly starred on NCIS for 13 seasons before exiting in 2016 and returned briefly for a 2024 tribute episode.
- Season 24 is expected this fall with Gary Cole, Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law, and Brian Dietzen.
Why is Michael Weatherly returning to NCIS now?
Weatherly helped launch NCIS in 2003 after introducing Tony in a backdoor pilot on JAG. Over 13 seasons, the former Baltimore homicide detective became one of the show's most beloved characters, especially alongside Ziva David, played by Cote de Pablo.
He departed after season 13 in 2016 to lead the CBS drama Bull, which ended in 2022. With the Tony & Ziva spinoff now canceled, a return to the procedural that built his career had been widely anticipated among fans.
Weatherly previously surprised viewers with a cameo in 2024's tribute to David McCallum, who played chief medical examiner Donald "Ducky" Mallard. NCIS star and episode director Brian Dietzen told USA Today that DiNozzo was "the perfect character for that last scene."
What happened to the NCIS: Tony & Ziva spinoff?
Weatherly reunited with de Pablo for NCIS: Tony & Ziva, a Paramount+ series that premiered in 2025. Despite strong fan interest, the streaming service canceled it in December after a single season.
The pair issued a joint statement thanking cast, crew, and partners at CBS Studios and Paramount+. "We feel incredibly lucky to have had the chance to play these characters once again and to tell the next chapter of Tony and Ziva's story," they said.
That chapter left Tony and Ziva together raising their daughter while living as fugitives. Writers now face a puzzle: explaining Tony's solo return to NCIS without de Pablo's character on screen, at least for now.
Will Cote de Pablo return as Ziva with Tony?
CBS declined to comment or speculate on whether de Pablo might follow Weatherly back to the mothership. She left NCIS in 2013, and the network has shared no hint of her involvement in season 24.
The open question is especially sharp given Tony and Ziva's shared history and the spinoff's unresolved storyline. Until CBS says more, fans can only guess whether Ziva will join Tony in the squad room.
Job openings already exist on the show after supervisory special agent Leon Vance, played by Rocky Carroll, left during the March 24, 500th episode. Tony's arc could intersect with that reshaped team dynamic.
When does NCIS season 24 premiere?
CBS said NCIS season 24 will debut this fall for the 2026-2027 television season, though it has not announced a specific premiere date. The series continues to anchor CBS's fall lineup alongside franchise expansions such as NCIS: Origins.
The confirmed returning cast includes Gary Cole as Alden Parker, Sean Murray as Timothy McGee, Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres, Katrina Law as Jessica Knight, Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer, and Diona Reasonover. For more franchise updates, follow our Streaming & TV Alerts coverage.