‘NCIS’: Why Michael Weatherly Wouldn’t Make a Good Replacement for Mark Harmon

With news that “Bull” is ending, I know “NCIS” fans are reading into things. The question everyone’s asking: is Michael Weatherly coming back to “NCIS”? Well, I’m here to tell you why that’s a bad idea.

First of all, Tony’s story is now tied with Ziva and Tali’s. The family is together in Paris, and for Tony to come back alone doesn’t feel right. He spent so long connecting with his child, for him to leave his family for his old job doesn’t track with who Tony is as a person now. If Tony comes back, he’s got to bring the whole family, which defeats the purpose of them leaving in the first place.

Second, he’d have to fight Parker for the leadership position, anyway. Parker is now firmly rooted in the captain’s chair; he called them his team for crying out loud. That took him forever to do; for Tony to waltz back in and demand the job doesn’t sit right with what we know of either character.

There are just a lot of things at play that don’t add up to Tony coming back and leading the team. It doesn’t make sense for his character, and it doesn’t make sense for where “NCIS” is right now.

So, as permanent leader of the team, my vote is not on Tony. As a guest appearance, sure, totally, I welcome it. It would be great to see Tony again on “NCIS.” I would love to see how being a parent has changed him. I just don’t see it happening soon.
Michael Weatherly On Returning to ‘NCIS’

As far as Michael Weatherly’s feelings about returning to his former show, we know that he’s previously expressed his undying love for “NCIS.” He frequently posts on social media about the show and his memories of being on it. So, I predict it wouldn’t take much to convince him to come back.

When he left the show in 2016, Weatherly said in a statement, “[DiNozzo] will live on in the hearts and minds of the viewers and is embedded in the show…I would absolutely be open to anything and everything including things that no one’s even thought of yet.”

So, it’s clear the door is still open for Weatherly; is it still open for “NCIS”? Would the execs even consider bringing him back? One thing’s for sure; I don’t think Weatherly’s opinions on “NCIS” have changed since 2016. He loves to post about the show, from watching reruns and missing his co-stars, to waking up from a dream about Tony.

I’m hopeful that once “Bull” ends for good, Weatherly or “NCIS” will address the rumors of Tony returning. Either we’ll get a confirmation, or the rumors will be put to bed once and for all.