Fan-Favorite NCIS Star Teases Shocking Return This Year

Longtime NCIS star Michael Weatherly hinted on Twitter that he -- or maybe he and Cote de Pablo -- could make an appearance on the series in 2023. Responding to a fan on Twitter, Weatherly stopped short of making any specific promises, but said that this "might be" the year for Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David to reunite on screen. Weatherly originally left the series in 2016 so that he could star in Bull, with the character leaving the NCIS behind to raise a child he and David had together. At the time, David was presumed dead, but de Pablo made subsequent guest appearances, revealing she was in fact alive.

NCIS centers on a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates crimes involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Weatherly and de Pablo were regulars on the show for over a decade before separately leaving, but ultimately having their character's fates intertwined.

After Weatherly posted a New Year's greeting to Twitter, telling his followers to "enjoy the moment," a fan chimed in to say "We all would rather look at you and Ziva reuniting."

Weatherly quoted-tweeted the response, adding, "Stay tuned... for this might be an interesting year for such 'moments'!"

Mark Harmon, who played the series lead and also executive produces the series, also recently exited the series as star (although he remains on as producer). The series remains one of the most-watched shows on TV, in spite of having lost Harmon (who starred for 18 years) just a  year after Michael Weatherly left the series.

"As an executive producer and dear friend, Mark continues to be an integral part of the fabric of the show," said showrunner Steven D. Binder the day after Harmon's last episode. In the statement, he also hinted that a return is possible, if Harmon wants to do it. "Our north star has always been staying true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we tell and where those characters go. So, regarding the future of Gibbs, as long-time fans of the show may have noticed over the years...never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out."

Originally a spinoff of the military legal drama JAG, NCIS has ballooned into a brand of its own, with three spinoffs so far (and intermittent rumors of a JAG revival). While one of them, NCIS: New Orleans, concluded in 2021, it was replaced on the schedule almost immediately by NCIS: Hawaii.