NCIS Fans Already Planning For Tiva Reunion Following Michael Weatherly's Bull Exit At CBS

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By Nick Venable
published

Fans' desires seem pretty clear, even without Bull's glasses.

When Michael Weatherly vacated the role of NCIS’ Tony DiNozzo Jr. in 2016 after 13 seasons, fans immediately started plotting for the character’s eventual return, even as the actor’s follow-up drama Bull became a popular series in its own right. Now, nearly six years later, Weatherly dropped the shocking bombshell that he’s bowing out of Bull at the conclusion of Season 6, with plans to take his career in other creative directions. Which, of course, means that NCIS viewers instantly began hoping that his updated career path will loop back around to his former gig on the network for all the big reunions, including one with Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David.

Michael Weatherly revealed his big exit news two days ahead of Season 6’s eleventh episode, with another eleven episodes set to air in the coming months. That’s plenty of time for the actor to land another big role elsewhere on the small screen, or for him to reveal he’s got feature film plans in mind. But for the time being, fans have been pretty single-minded on Twitter regarding what Weatherly should do next. (Hint: it rhymes with “schme-uniting with Schmiva on Schmen-CIS.”) Posts such as the one seen below started popping up as procedural TV viewers started launching their hopes up into the clouds. 

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And while the simple thought of seeing Tony DiNozzo again on NCIS out of context is fine enough for all of .5 seconds, it doesn’t take long for the idea of seeing everybody’s favorite former agent-coupling again to take over.  

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Sure, there were probably Bull fanatics who shared their own super-upset reactions on social media, but it seemed like a lot of those responses were dwarfed by fans addressing the cancellation news alongside requests for #TivaTime once more. Such as this Twitter user:

My heart just skipped a couple of beats @M_Weatherly. So sad to see #Bull end, love seeing you on TV, But so incredibly excited to think just maybe a new Team leader, might be moving back to WASHINGTON! Woop Woop Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo come on down #NCIS #tonyzivatully

The Twitter fan below didn't even pump the brakes at just the idea of Michael Weatherly returning to NCIS, but also threw out a request for Dark Angel repeats to air more. Not for a revival or anything, but just the repeats, which is probably the more sane option in this era of continuation series. 

Oh dear that's sad I love the ensemble full stop does this mean you could be bringing Tony dinozzo back with Ziva? that would be absolutely amazing and you always loved that show. Wish they would show reruns of dark angel I love that one with you and Jessica Alba.

For anybody who wants to don a tin-foil hat while standing in front of a yarn-draped corkboard, Michael Weatherly's Bull announcement happening during the same season as NCIS losing Mark Harmon's Gibbs is something adjacent to destiny. 

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Realistically speaking, it's hard to gauge how likely Michael Weatherly's return to NCIS could be, either on a full-time or a cameo basis. While the creative team did bring Cote de Pablo's Ziva back in Season 17 for a handful of episodes, the storyline (and de Pablo herself) made it sound as if the characters were not destined to be together again, for safety's sake. That said, Weatherly has maintained a good connection with much of the cast, both past and present, so DiNozzo's solo return isn't the most outlandish idea. That said, the actor has faced some backlash over the years, particularly where Eliza Dushku's Bull firing is concerned, so that and other potentially controversial matters could play into it.

While keeping the hype alive, tune into new episodes of Bull every Thursday night on CBS at 10:00 p.m. ET. 

Nick Venable
Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.