After the cancellation of NCIS: Tony & Ziva last year, Michael Weatherly is back on the Mothership as Tony DiNozzo for Season 24 on the 2026 TV schedule. While Tony was initially in D.C. to expand his security company, he wound up becoming the newest NCIS director following Vance’s death last season. Even though it seems like this could be a permanent ordeal, nothing on NCIS is predictable. So, I would love to know if he’d ever go back to being on the show full time. Now, Wilmer Valderrama has shared his take.
Since Tony is now the director of NCIS, and he’s actually doing a pretty decent job so far, I can’t help but wonder if this could turn into a more permanent role for him. While speaking with USA Today, Valderrama, who joined NCIS right after Weatherly left, weighed in on his potential to return next season, saying:
I mean, I don’t have any information on that. It really, truly is up to the fans. The fans dictate so much of what NCIS does. And that’s one thing that I think the fans should always know that we’re always listening, and that whatever they want, we’re going to do our best to bring it to life. If it works for people and people like the dynamic, I have no doubt he will be here beyond it. Why wouldn’t you?
It’s hard to predict how things will go next season when we don’t even know if there is going to be a next season. However, while NCIS has not been renewed for Season 25 yet, considering the show and franchise’s popularity, it feels highly likely. Plus, Tony has been a fan-favorite character since the very beginning, and his return seemed to have helped put NCIS on top in the ratings. So, keeping him around would make perfect sense.
For now, though, Valderrama is just excited about what's happening in the current season. In fact, he reflected on working with Weatherly and how special it's been, considering his entrance on the show happened because his now-co-star had departed:
Every time that someone iconic from the show [returns] 10 years later, having the opportunity to share the screen with Michael, who was obviously such a massive, fundamental part of NCIS, was kind of like a really great full-circle [moment] for us to be on the same screen together and do scenes together, considering that his departure opened the door for my arrival, and now we can share the screen and co-lead the show together is pretty great.
It’s been fun to not only see Weatherly back on NCIS but to see him interact with cast members he’s never crossed paths with before, including Valderrama. Of course, I’ve loved seeing Tony’s reunion with McGee and Jimmy, too.
I also love that because Tony is in charge of NCIS now, he has the chance to have so many different relationships with everyone at the organization. Now, I just hope we'll get to continue to see his relationships develop over the course of multiple seasons.
For now, though, NCIS is still early in its 24th season, and I'm sure they have lots of surprises planned. The series took its time in finding the right replacement for director after Vance’s death, and since NCIS has now set up McGee’s future as SECNAV, I can’t think of anyone other than Tony who would be a good fit.
So, here's hoping he sticks around long-term. While we wait to see if that happens, you can catch new episodes of NCIS on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day with a Paramount+ subscription.
