Why Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo Left NCIS
Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo was one of the cornerstones of CBS procedural NCIS, only to stun fans by suddenly leaving after 13 seasons.
Dedicated viewers of long-running hit CBS procedural NCIS were saddened by season 13's departure of Michael Weatherly, who played Tony DiNozzo since the beginning. In fact, Weatherly played Tony DiNozzo even before the NCIS premiere episode, as he played the character in the two-part backdoor pilot for NCIS that aired as part of the show JAG. As many spinoffs as NCIS has spawned at this point, it can sometimes be hard to remember that the show itself was a JAG spinoff.
Weatherly's DiNozzo worked as one of the top-ranking agents under boss Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) on the Major Case Response Team and proved to be an integral part of NCIS' success. DiNozzo wasn't always a character that was easy to like, but he was quite good at his job and developed as a person over the course of NCIS' long run. DiNozzo grew especially close to fellow agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), with the two crossing the line from professional to personal partners.
As major a character as Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo was on NCIS, any long-running show is likely to experience some cast upheaval over time. By the time Weatherly took his leave from NCIS after season 13, Ziva herself had already left the cast, breaking up a couple fans had come to love. Losing the dynamic between Tony and Ziva was a big reason Weatherly opted to exit, as he missed the onscreen chemistry between the two characters and working with de Pablo. Beyond that, Weatherly had grown a bit bored with playing his NCIS role after 13 years and found himself itching to pursue other projects. When discussing the decision (via TV Insider), Weatherly likened the feeling to staying at a party too long.
To those on the outside looking in, it may seem hard to sympathize with someone growing tired of starring on a hit TV show, such as Mark Harmon did ahead of NCIS season 19. Yet, Weatherly is far from the first actor to get sick of playing the same character over the course of a long franchise, and he won't be the last. Weatherly certainly was not kidding about wanting to do something new, though, as he very quickly moved on to play the lead in CBS' hit legal drama Bull.
Bull only recently came to an end after a six-season run, and for now, it's unclear what Weatherly's plans are for his next major gig. Naturally, many NCIS watchers would love for Weatherly to return to the show as Tony DiNozzo, even if only for a guest appearance. If he elects to do so, the door is wide open, as canonically, "Tiva" are still together and living with their daughter in Paris, and Ziva made her NCIS return during season 17. Considering his hectic schedule as the star of Bull, it's likely Weatherly will take some time to relax for a while before stepping back into the NCIS world.
More: Why Pauley Perrette's Abby Sciuto Left NCIS After Season 15
