In April 2020, the long-running CBS crime drama NCIS wrapped up its 17th season. After
all these years, the cast is still headed by Mark Harmon as Special Agent Gibbs, and
the 17th season saw appearances from classic characters like Ziva David and Jimmy Palmer,
played by Cote de Pablo and Brian Dietzen, respectively.
Obviously, the NCIS team that we first met in 2003 has changed quite a bit over the years.
Other than Mark Harmon, David McCallum is the only series regular who's been around
since the very beginning. He plays Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, as you probably know.
But few former NCIS characters are missed as much as Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo.
People just loved tuning in to watch his antics every week.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I think it's even a rule."
"Rule 38."
"Oh."
"Mm."
So it's no surprise that many fans were downright disappointed when he left the show at the
end of season 13. His departure left us with two burning questions: One: Why did Weatherly
decide to hang up his badge after 13 seasons? And, two: Will Tony DiNozzo ever make another
appearance on NCIS?
It's hard to say. Remember what happened in the season 13 finale? Tony was mourning the
alleged death of Ziva, with whom he'd always enjoyed a loving but complicated relationship.
After Ziva's supposed death, Tony learns that she'd given birth to their child...a secret
she decided to keep from Tony to avoid complicating their lives. Talk about an emotional burden.
Though Tony is understandably shocked by this news, he takes to fatherhood quickly. By the
end of the episode, Ziva's alleged killer has been taken down by the team, and Tony
has made a really tough decision: He's going to step away from NCIS to raise his daughter
and rebuild his life. Of course, everyone is devastated by his departure, but they certainly
understand his reasoning. It's one of the most emotional send-offs in the history of
the series.
But why did Weatherly step away from NCIS after such a long run? Ultimately, he left
for the same reason that many people leave their jobs: After 13 years, he felt it was
time to move on. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said he was burned
out by the show's taxing schedule. As to how Tony's story wrapped up, Weatherly said,
"It really felt like a circle that had gone all the way around and I really felt happy
with the resolution of character and my time on the show."
Weatherly left the show on good terms with the cast and crew, and he quickly landed a
role on another CBS series. While he was preparing his departure from NCIS, it was announced
that he would be the lead of a new primetime drama, Bull. The show was somehow inspired
by the life and times of the decidedly uninspiring Doctor Phil. It finds Weatherly playing a
psychologist, Dr. Jason Bull, the head of a jury consulting firm.
As of the making of this video, Bull is still on the air after four seasons. But the question
remains: Will we ever get to see Weatherly play Tony again?
Well, there have been plenty of rumors that Tony would be returning to the show, which
began pretty much the moment he left. This speculation went into hyperdrive during the
show's 16th season. That's when it was revealed that Ziva was still very much alive. And when
Cote de Pablo did indeed return to the show, fans were fairly certain that Weatherly would
soon follow suit.
In fact, even before de Pablo's return, Weatherly hinted on Twitter that he was totally down
with returning to NCIS, writing in February 2018:
"Yes I believe Ziva is alive and I will always be ready to play DiNozzo when the time is
right."
Many fans were convinced Tony would be making an appearance on the season 17 midseason finale,
along with Ziva and their daughter Tali. But when the episode aired, only Ziva made an
appearance, although Tony and Tali were mentioned in the episode. Franky, we're still waiting
to see whether Tony DiNozzo will ever make his grand return to the show. Don't let down
the team, DiNozzo.
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