Director Tony Dinozzo Jr.’s stint beyond the current NCIS run gets an official update from CBS.
Michael Weatherly returned to the premier procedural 10 years after he originally left and months after Paramount+ cancelled the short-lived spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva. Impressively, showrunner Steven D. Binder and his team have been able to seamlessly reincorporate Dinozzo back into Navy Yard as the replacement for Leon Vance. CBS’s 2026-2027 season still has a far long way to go, but questions about Weatherly’s fate beyond the current cycle is already a major topic of conversation.
For context, Weatherly’s return was announced during the off-season. Back then, it was unclear what his role was going to be. However, the death of Leon Vance in NCIS season 23 opened a slot for him to head the same agency that he worked for a decade ago. Now, that is the case, as he spearheads the organization while also getting more invested in cases than his predecessors. When news first broke out, a big part of his comeback story included it being a season-long arc, but, understandably, there are questions about what happens beyond that.
Talking to TVInsider, Binder reveals Weatherly’s status after NCIS season 24, saying that at this point, they’re taking it one day at a time. This makes sense in light of network TV’s format. Unlike streaming shows that are mostly done by the time they hit their platforms, production continues for traditional broadcast projects, especially procedurals such as NCIS. So, while the staff and crew of the show are likely a few episodes ahead of its scheduling, the finale and what comes after that are still very much up in the air. Read Binder’s full quote below:
“We take these things one season at a time. On the other hand, you blink and it’s Season 24. So I don’t really know. Network television is a real hand-to-mouth endeavor in terms of getting these scripts on time. We’re doing 20 episodes in a season where a streamer does eight episodes in 25 months. So we’re taking it one step at a time. Certainly, it’s been really great having him in that chair, and I don’t see any reason why it should slow, but I don’t know that we’re looking quite that far yet.”
Before it was confirmed that Dinozzo would step in as the new NCIS leader, there were theories that his return to Washington DC may just be about the year’s big case. Since the character owns a successful security agency, and he has experience in fraud, as seen in NCIS: Tony & Ziva, perhaps it’s possible that he is tapped by MCRT to help with their own crisis, or vice versa. However, with Dinozzo now firmly ingrained in the agency, letting him go after just one season presents far more complications.
As previously mentioned, NCIS season 24 still has a long way to go, but this is the year that already feels like the show is finally nearing the end of a painful rebranding process. It’s no secret that the multiple character exits have made things trickier for the series to regain its original footing. The addition of Gary Cole’s Alden Parker helped the transition, but some pockets of the procedural still felt unclear and muddied at times. Dinozzo coming in and becoming the new director and Timothy McGee getting a concrete update about his career trajectory are good steps to fully usher NCIS into its brand new era.
Getting rid of Weatherly’s Dinozzo after NCIS season 24 is already a bad idea as early as now. Unless something drastic happens behind-the-scenes, it doesn’t seem like the actor is eager to leave the series again, especially as he gets to reunite with some of his long-time co-stars, including Mark Harmon in NCIS: Origins season 3. At this point, CBS’s priority should be to stabilize NCIS and the best way to do that is to keep Dinozzo beyond the current season.
NCIS
6/10
- Release Date
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September 23, 2003
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Sean Murray
Timothy McGee
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Michael Weatherly
Tony DiNozzo
