13-Season NCIS Star's Return After 10 Years Finally Revealed By CBS
NCIS season 24 has officially seen a fan-favorite veteran's homecoming.
CBS is leaning into nostalgia for its upcoming Super Tuesday slate. The revamped NCIS franchise schedule has three shows bringing back familiar faces to the universe to the delight of many long-time viewers. For starters, LL Cool J is spearheading NCIS: New York, while Mark Harmon is back full-time as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS: Origins season 3. Eric Christian Olsen is also returning, albeit as a producer, for the prequel.
For a franchise that has been on the air for over three decades, including the years of JAG, NCIS is right to lean on nostalgia, especially at this point in its run. It is one of the few brands on TV that has this kind of history, and it would be a waste not to fully take advantage of it. All the aforementioned returns are exciting in their respective ways, that said, arguably the most intriguing one is involving Michael Weatherly, who officially returns to NCIS season 24 as Tony Dinozzo Jr.
Ahead of the fall 2026 premiere, NCIS has finally revealed the first proper look at Weatherly's return as Dinozzo. In the video, he is wearing his signature suit and tie get-up — something he inherited from his father, as established in the flagship. A separate video from Jimmy Palmer actor, Brian Dietzen, shows him having fun on set with his co-workers. Check out both clips below:
The reveal that Weatherly is returning to the flagship ahead of the show's production was arguably one of, if not the biggest off-season developments for the NCIS franchise this cycle. LL Cool J and Harmon's respective comeback announcements were great, but both have been involved with the franchise on and off for the last few years. Sam Hanna had multiple cameos in the flagship after NCIS: Hawai'i's cancellation, while Old Gibbs had already appeared twice in NCIS: Origins. This first-look follows the confirmation of Scott Caan's NCIS: New York's recast character.
While Weatherly was fresh from doing the shortlived NCIS: Tony & Ziva and even had a brief appearance during Ducky's send-off episode, the fact that he is sticking around for a whole season with MCRT is opening up a lot of narrative possibilities. Firstly, the fact that he is not with Ziva, at least at the start of NCIS season 24, poses so many questions — as evidenced by the countless questions asking about Cote de Pablo's status in the comment section of Weatherly's return reveal. Secondly, there's also curiosity to find out what brings him back to Navy Yard, considering the life that he has built in Paris.
It will be interesting to see how Dinozzo is re-incorporated into NCIS season 24's story. Between his history with the agency and his boisterous personality, it would be tricky to make him a supporting character. The risk is for his story to overtake the whole season, leaving MCRT's own narratives on the sidelines. Still, it's a small gamble, considering the potential rewards of seeing the Very Special Agent reunite with his old co-workers as part of CBS's fall 2026 lineup.