Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo Gets Major New Job in ‘NCIS’ Season 24 Premiere

Michael Weatherly‘s return to NCIS just got a lot more important.

The 58-year-old actor returned as Tony DiNozzo in the Season 24 premiere on Tuesday (October 6), and the episode revealed that Tony is taking on a major new role within the agency.

The premiere, titled “Wayward Son,” picked up after last season’s shooting cliffhanger and ultimately set Tony up to become a central part of the series moving forward.

Warning: major spoilers for the Season 24 premiere of NCIS ahead!

Tony DiNozzo Is the New Director of NCIS

The episode revealed that Tony was the government’s first choice to replace Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) as NCIS director.

Tony initially turned down the position, but after helping the team rescue the daughter of the Secretary of the Navy (Jillian Armenante), she made it clear that she wanted him in the job.

Tony ultimately accepted, becoming the new head of NCIS.

Showrunner Steven D. Binder told TheWrap that putting Tony in charge creates a very different dynamic than viewers had with Vance.

He compared Tony’s new role to someone who was once the troublemaker in school later coming back as the principal.

“Tony’s like the kid in high school who pulled the fire alarm, and then you come back 20 years later and he’s the principal,” he explained.

“We wanted to bring in someone who is going to shake things up…someone who’s on your team and very competent, but also you know is going to maybe solve cases with movie references.”

Tony Was Also the Person Shot in the Season 23 Cliffhanger

The premiere also answered another big question from last season.

After the finale ended with a shooting involving Torres and McGee’s son Mateo, the Season 24 premiere revealed that Tony was actually the person who had been shot.

Tony had returned to Washington, D.C. after getting a tip about Mateo and went to investigate the situation himself.

That storyline helped bring Tony immediately back into the team’s orbit before the episode ultimately put him in charge of the entire organization.

How Long Will Michael Weatherly Stay on NCIS?

Michael Weatherly is currently set for a season-long arc, but his role could potentially continue beyond Season 24.

“Michael will feel like a series regular,” Steven told TheWrap, adding that the actor will appear in many episodes this season.

The showrunner also said he would not be surprised if Michael wound up staying longer, though nothing beyond Season 24 has been confirmed.

There is also the possibility that Cote de Pablo could appear as Ziva during Tony’s new storyline, though no return has been officially announced.

Earlier in the day, we broke down everything you needed to know about Michael Weatherly‘s return and how to watch the Season 24 premiere.

NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

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