Would Michael Weatherly’s NCIS Return Be Better Than Mark Harmon’s?

NCIS is entering its monumental 20th season, but would a Michael Weatherly DiNozzo return be better than Mark Harmon’s Gibbs’?

NCIS season 20 could see the return of Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo, could that be better than seeing Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs? CBS’ longest-running police procedural is marking a huge milestone when it returns on the small screen this fall. NCIS will officially enter its 20th season, which makes it one of the longest running scripted American prime time television series, alongside the likes of Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order. Given this, there’s an expectation that CBS will be going all out to celebrate this rare feat.

One of the best ways to make NCIS season 20 as memorable as possible is to bring back certain characters from its past. Being on the air for almost two decades, the show is not new to several cast reshuffles to both keep things fresh and adapt to actors leaving the show. Amidst a string of departures, however, Harmon and Weatherly’s respective exits are arguably the biggest ones. So, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that CBS is planning to bring either of the two back.

In an ideal world, both Weatherly and Harmon will be in NCIS season 20. However, in the event that only one can return, Weatherly’s reprisal as Tony DiNozzo will be better than his former boss. For starters, it has been almost 10 years since the “Very Special Agent” was seen on the police procedure. Ever since Weatherly exited NCIS, a lot has happened to him off-screen, as revealed by the re-emergence of Ziva (Cote de Pablo). It’s worth reminding that DiNozzo left the force after learning about the existence of his daughter with his former flame, who was believed to have died then. NCIS walked back on this and later revealed that Ziva is not only alive, but has also reunited with DiNozzo in Paris, where they are raising their child. It would be interesting to see how these turn of events have changed (or not) the usually jovial Tony DiNozzo. While it would also be great to see Gibbs back, since Harmon has just left NCIS, seeing him return this quickly doesn’t have as big of an impact as seeing Michael Weatherly.

Will Michael Weatherly Or Mark Harmon Really Return To NCIS?

NCIS season 20 will kick things off with a crossover event. After that, it seems most likely that the shows will return to their regular procedural format. With the special event out of the way, however, it’s safe to say that CBS has other surprises in store for viewers to celebrate NCIS’ historic 20th season, including some big cameos. Michael Weatherly has expressed interest in revisiting his old gig as Tony DiNozzo, especially now that Bull has wrapped up. Sean Murray’s Instagram post of a throwback photo with Tim McGee and DiNozzo has further fueled the fire that the actor is indeed coming back. As for Harmon, it would also be fairly easy to have Gibbs return to NCIS as he has just retired; the actor also remains an executive producer for the series. Like Weatherly, he, too, has publicly said that he is open to returning to NCIS. At this point, their appearances will boil down to the police procedural’s overarching story for season 20.

For what it’s worth, NCIS would only benefit from bringing back Weatherly and Harmon. Seeing DiNozzo reunite with his old unit would be a bigger surprise because of how long he has been away, but Gibbs reappearing would certainly also be very much appreciated. If CBS could find a way to see both of them return at the same time, it would certainly be the right move to treat audiences with some sorely-missed Gibbs-DiNozzo interaction.