The article contains spoilers for NCIS season 21, episode 2.

Summary

• Weatherly's unexpected return to NCIS as DiNozzo in a tribute episode has viewers buzzing with excitement.
• The actor celebrated his comeback with a social media post thanking the cast and crew for their hard work.
• While DiNozzo's appearance is currently a one-off, Weatherly's interest in returning to NCIS suggests more stories to come.

After his surprise Tony DiNozzo cameo, Michael Weatherly breaks his silence on his return to Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs' was better situated to return, considering his longstanding friendship with Dr. Mallard.

Nevertheless, DiNozzo's return in NCIS season 21 was a welcomed development, and Weatherly celebrated it with a new social media post. Check it out below:

In the image, Weatherly posed with director and NCIS: LA star, Daniela Ruah, who is confirmed to helm a couple of episodes in the NCIS universe this year. Weatherly also commended Jimmy Palmer actor Brian Dietzen for co-writing the Ducky tribute episode with Scott Williams.

Will DiNozzo Return Full Time In NCIS?

Parker's team can always welcome a familiar face

DiNozzo walked away from NCIS upon learning about his secret daughter with former teammate, Ziva David. Realizing how important family is, Gibbs let him go. Since then, Weatherly hasn't returned to NCIS until season 21 for Ducky's farewell. He was chosen as the original character to appear because of DiNozzo's friendship with Palmer, who was having a difficult time coming to with his mentor's death. DiNozzo did maintain with Gibbs, as confirmed when Ziva returned to the show. However, that was the extent of his involvement since 2015.

Weatherly's NCIS return can be bigger than Harmon's, however, since he is better equipped to continue partaking in the police procedural moving forward. For now, it has been confirmed that DiNozzo is only meant for a one-off appearance, with no plans of reuniting with his old team anytime soon. The door is open for his return, especially now that he has reconnected with Palmer and McGee, and perhaps met the rest of the new team in the wake of Ducky's death.

NCIS' Ducky tribiute episode proves that the show is discerning when it comes to bringing back old characters. This indicates that if DiNozzo finds his way back to the show, there will be a narrative need for his presence.

Weatherly has expressed his desire to return to NCIS, explaining that he feels like there are still stories left to tell for DiNozzo. With his own CBS series, Bull, now finished, the actor has more time to make this into a reality. Ducky is the last original character to leave NCIS, so seeing DiNozzo back would be a great treat for long-time viewers of the show.

How DiNozzo Can Return To NCIS

Weatherly's character has plenty of potential storylines left

DiNozzo himself says that he is just ing through, emphasizing that he doesn't intend on reclaiming his old spot. Unfortunately, he doesn't reveal much about what he has been up to; he doesn't even mention his daughter and Ziva. NCIS only gives a snippet of him with Palmer and McGee, but it's likely that he has also been introduced to the rest of the active team, including Parker. He may have been caught up with Vance. Given this, it isn't outside the realm of possibility that he gets recruited to help in case the squad needs his expertise.

Meanwhile, if he continues to work in a similar field, perhaps one of his future missions will result in him having to seek NCIS' help. Having been a long-time member of the squad and having personal ties with Vance, McGee, and Palmer, there is no doubt that Parker will be more than willing to assist him if he finds himself in a dicey situation. Beyond that, NCIS can also simply give DiNozzo and Ziva the happy ending that they deserve on the screen. It may even be enough reason for Gibbs to leave Alaska and come back to the DMV.

NCIS' Ducky tribiute episode proves that the show is discerning when it comes to bringing back old characters. This indicates that if DiNozzo finds his way back to the show, there will be a narrative need for his presence. Luckily, there's no shortage of stories that can be told with the character at the center.

NCIS season 21 airs new episodes every Monday, 9 pm ET on CBS.

Source: Michael Weatherly/X (formerly Twitter)