‘NCIS’ brings back Michael Weatherly as Tony Dinozzo for season 24

Michael Weatherly once again returns to the role of “NCIS” fan favorite Tony DiNozzo. Variety has learned that Weatherly is set for a season-long run in Season 24 of the long-running CBS series he helped popularize.

This is now the second high-profile “NCIS” alum to return to the franchise in recent days. It was previously reported that Mark Harmon would reprise the role of Gibbs in the prequel series ‘NCIS: Origins’.

Weatherly originally played DiNozzo in a two-part backdoor pilot on “JAG” in 2003 before “NCIS” launched on CBS. He went on to star in ‘NCIS’ for thirteen seasons and over 300 episodes, as well as appearing as a character in several other shows in the franchise. He then made a cameo in Season 21 of “NCIS” before co-leading the Paramount+ spinoff “NCIS: Tony & Ziva” with Cote de Pablo.

Even when he left “NCIS,” Weatherly remained in the CBS fold. He starred in the legal drama series “Bull” for six seasons from 2016 to 2022. However, his time on that show was not without controversy, with actress Eliza Dushku accusing Weathely of sexual harassment during her time on set.

The current cast of “NCIS” includes Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, Katrina Law and Gary Cole. Steven D. Binder, Chas. Floyd Johnson, Mark Harmon, Scott Williams, Christopher J. Waild, Mark R. Schilz, José Clemente Hernandez, Avery C. Drewe, Marco Schnabel and Donald P. Bellisario serve as executive producers. CBS Studios produces.

The mothership show remains a cornerstone of the CBS lineup, with “NCIS” debuting its 24th season this fall and “Origins” its third season. In addition to these two shows, CBS also airs “NCIS: Sydney” and is currently prepping “NCIS: New York,” starring LL Cool J and Scott Caan.

Previous contributions to the franchise include ‘NCIS: New Orleans’, ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ (also starring LL Cool J), ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ and ‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’.