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The CBS military police procedural, NCIS, is set to return for another season, and fans can’t wait to see what happens next. NCIS Season 21 won’t feature a few main actors, like Mark Harmon, but loyal viewers who’ve kept up with the series for over 20 years still have hope that their favorites from over the years will appear. Recently, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo actor Michael Weatherly teased fans with a tweet that could point to his possible return in NCIS Season 21.

Michael Weatherly teased a potential return to ‘NCIS’ on Twitter

Michael Weatherly played Tony DiNozzo in NCIS for 13 seasons, and fans would love to see him return in season 21. According to fans, Weatherly is already hinting at a possible return.

Weatherly’s hints began in July 2023. He tweeted a photo of a friend lightly hitting the back of his head, like how Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs would hit the back of Tony’s head.

“Getting the DiNozzo/Gibbs slap from a friend. #lifeguard #ncis,” Weatherly captioned the tweet.

Four days later, on July 27, 2023, Weatherly posted another tweet that had fans pondering his return. “This song exists to remind you that one summer afternoon … in the late 1970s … life was PERFECT,” Weatherly wrote. “By the way — I feel like things are starting to happen. Things that will be very exciting. Stay tuned. In the meantime, listen to this.” He then posted a link to the song “Shakedown Cruise” by Jay Ferguson.

Fans questioned what Weatherly meant by the upcoming “very exciting” events he mentioned. And many assumed he was talking about a possible return to the beloved procedural series.

Michael Weatherly is reportedly in talks regarding his potential return

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‘NCIS’ Stars Reunite Amid Season 21 Delay

Michael Weatherly left NCIS in 2016 after 13 years with the series, but there’s still hope he could return for NCIS Season 21. He left in 2016 to star in Bull. Now that Bull ended, Weatherly is reportedly negotiating a potential return to NCIS. But he reportedly wants to return with Cote de Pablo, who played Ziva David, and Robert Wagner, who played his father.

A source told Radar Online that while NCIS producers would love to see Weatherly return, they aren’t keen on meeting all of his demands. “Michael loves to stir things up and get fans excited about his comeback, but he’s doing himself no favors by being so demanding,” an insider shared. “The bosses are tearing their hair out over their terms.”

Additional sources shared that NCIS producers would rather see Mark Harmon return than Weatherly.

Is ‘NCIS’ Season 21 airing in 2023?

Fans must wait and see what happens with NCIS Season 21 regarding Michael Weatherly’s return. CBS planned to air season 21 during the fall 2023 lineup, but the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes delayed the premiere. Writers and actors with NCIS stopped working as a result of the strike. With this in mind, fans may not see a season 21 premiere until 2024.

Actor Brian Dietzen confirmed that the strikes affected the next season of NCIS. On July 7, 2023, he posted photos from Greece and included information about the strike in his caption.

“It was an epic journey and so beautiful,” he posted to Instagram. “Santorini, Naxos, Athens, it was the trip of a lifetime. … Now back to work … eventually? Til then, I’ll be on the picket lines. Hope your summer is going great!”

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