Aurora Starchild
Michael Weatherly just surprised fans with a massive tease. On New Year’s Eve, the Bull actor posted a video looking forward to 2023. Then a fan randomly commented about him returning to NCIS— and his response made many feel hopeful. Let’s take a look at some potential clues. But as a disclaimer, this is all conjecture.
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Clue 1: Michael Weatherly Played “The Police” While Saying Happy New Year on Twitter
“What is going to happen in 2023?” Weatherly began, as a song by The Police blasted in the background. “Well, no matter what you did in ’22, ’23 stands before us. An open door. So, let’s all explore, shall we?” He then made a weird face and started making fun of himself for being too “poetic.”
“You know what, never mind. Have a good time. Have a party. Be with the ones you love. And enjoy yourselves. No need to rhyme.”
That’s when someone commented, “We all would rather look at you and Ziva reuniting and enjoying that moment.”
Ziva David is the girlfriend of Weatherly’s character, Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo, on NCIS. In 2016, we learned that Ziva and Anthony had a daughter, Tali, together. That was the same season that made everyone think Ziva died, and then Tony disappeared from the show to care for Tali. But in 2019, it was revealed that Ziva had actually gone undercover. She wasn’t dead, after all.
Meanwhile, Michael Weatherly had other projects in the works. After leaving NCIS in 2016, he moved on to play the titular character in the TV series Bull. He’d played Tony for over 300 episodes of NCIS, not including spinoffs, so he definitely left fans feeling like something was missing. Making it worse was the dropped expectation of Ziva and Tony’s reunion.
Bull aired for 6 seasons until Weatherly announced that he was choosing not to return for a 7th season. Bull had its finale in late May of 2002, and Weatherly has since been out of the spotlight.
Which is why Michael Weatherly’s response to his fan’s comment made everyone hopeful for an NCIS return.
Clue 2: Michael Weatherly Said “Stay Tuned” When Asked About Tony and Ziva NCIS Reunion
“Stay tuned… for this might be an interesting year for such “moments”!” he wrote.
That certainly doesn’t seem like the kind of thing someone would write if there wasn’t a plan already in the works.
However, it should be pointed out that when Michael Weatherly announced his leave from Bull almost one year ago, he said he was going to “pursue new creative challenges.” That leaves the idea of an NCIS to return up in the air. Perhaps he’ll return in another NCIS spinoff, or maybe he’s just coming back to the show? We’re also talking about an actor whose wheelhouse is in creating lasting characters, particularly those who develop over the course of seasons and years.
TV Line published a comment by showrunner Steven Binder a few months ago, responding to the same question. Will Michael Weatherly make a return to NCIS?
“His first response was, ‘Wouldn’t that be great?’” wrote TV Line’s Matt Mitovich. Then he said Binder “turned skeptical.”
“When [Michael] left NCIS, he said to me, ‘I am never going to do network television again,’” Binder related. “He had just had some kids, and the hours are so long… but then this Bull thing landed in his lap, and again he was working like a fiend. So I suspect — forgetting Tony DiNozzo for a minute — that Michael Weatherly is on vacation. I’ve known him for a while and I think he needs to chillax and go someplace tropical. I haven’t spoken to him about that but we’ve talked over the years, and that’s my guess.”
To be fair, Binder gave a similarly vague response, and he was referring to 2016, after Weatherly left NCIS but before Bull aired.
Clue 3: Maybe We’re Reaching, but… “Bring on the Night”?
But if we’re really going to read into things, let’s talk about Weatherly’s Twitter post. First of all, he was playing a song from The Police. Specifically, he was playing “Bring on the Night.” Crimes are more likely to occur at night. Is this Weatherly making a hint about an NCIS return?
The song’s lyrics go:
The afternoon has gently passed me by
The evening spreads its sail against the sky
Waiting for tomorrow
Just another day
God bid yesterday goodbyeBring on the night
I couldn’t stand another hour of daylight
Bring on the night
I couldn’t stand another hour of daylightThe future is but a question mark
Hangs above my head there in the dark
Can’t see for the brightness
Is staring me blind
God bid yesterday goodbyeBring on the night
Bring on the Night lyrics by The Police
I couldn’t stand another hour of daylight
Bring on the night
I couldn’t stand another hour of daylight
Whether or not Weatherly would deliberately pick his background song based on the entire lyrical composition is beyond my comprehension. However, simply choosing to play a song by The Police could be a big giveaway.
Side Note: Tali Could Be Played By an Older Actress Now
So, will Michael Weatherly return to NCIS?
My bet is that we will see a Tony and Ziva reunion, and that NCIS is playing the long game. Maybe they wanted to wait until Tali was old enough to be played by a lasting actress as well? She was about 16 months old when she went to Paris with her dad in 2016… which would put her around 8 when she comes back. That’s easier to incorporate into a crime series TV drama than a baby or toddler.
We’ll have to wait and see.
