Michael Weatherly has sparked a major reaction from NCIS fans after sharing a cryptic message on social media. The actor, who played Tony DiNozzo on the long-running drama until 2016, took to X on Wednesday, revealing that "so much has happened" recently.
Sharing a selfie showing the 55-year-old pointing to the side of his head, he penned in the caption: "I'm pensive… and so much has happened in the last little bit… can you hear my thoughts?"
Fans rushed to the comments section with their theories, with many speculating about his return to the CBS show.
One person asked: "Are you returning to NCIS sir?" while another wrote: "You have to be thinking 'I can't wait to return to NCIS with Ziva and Tali!'"
A third person commented: "I'm ready to return to NCIS," while a fourth remarked: "If your thoughts are 'get ready for DiNozzo round 2' then I hear you loud and clear."
Michael's latest post comes just over a week after he revealed his plans to reprise his NCIS role one day.
Responding to a fan on X who asked the actor to pick his favorite role out of Tony DiNozzo and his Bull character Dr. Jason Bull, Michael wrote: "There will be more DiNozzo someday because he is the one character that felt unfinished… that's my plan! We shall see…"
Fans of the show were delighted with Michael's reply and shared their opinions on a potential comeback in the comments section. Agreeing with the actor, one person penned: "Not only in his personal life but professionally DiNozzo also feels unfinished. He's so smart, competent, witty and more than capable of leading his own team. I would love to see Tony in a very important job position, like he deserves."
Many fans are hoping to see Michael return to the show in its upcoming 21st season, which will honor the late David McCallum, who played Ducky Mallard, with a special tribute in episode two.
NCIS co-showrunners Steven D. Binder and David North previously revealed that the second instalment will see Ducky help the team solve one last crime from beyond the grave. While they remained tight-lipped on potential cameos from returning stars, they did tell TV Line that fans can expect "a very touching and special moment you won't want to miss".
Michael left NCIS in 2016 after a 13-year stint on the show. At the time, the actor said he was "ready for a new challenge" and went on to star in the CBS courtroom drama, Bull, which ran for six seasons until 2022.
Opening up about his exit in a previous interview with TV Line, Michael revealed that he began to consider leaving the show after the departure of his co-star Cote de Pablo, who played his on-screen love interest, Ziva David.
Talking about Tony and Ziva's "will-they-won't-they" romance, which was a long-running storyline in the series, Michael said: "Their great dynamic, the badinage and sparring and flirting between those two characters and how they would swing from siblings to near lovers and back to buddies, that was gone. Then I got to the point where I felt I'd stayed at the party for too long."
He went on to say: "The show was a huge success, but I just suddenly realized that I probably had other things that I should be doing," adding that he wanted to spend more time with his family.