Nearly three months have passed since Michael Weatherly's return as NCIS' Tony DiNozzo was first revealed, and we're so very close to finally seeing it play out when the Season 24 premiere hits the 2026 TV schedule. Though he won't be sharing scenes with former co-stars Mark Harmon or Cote de Pablo, the actor brought both of the franchise faves when explaining why now was the right time to bring Tony back to the mothership. Speaking with TVInsider, Weatherly pointed out the first point of reasoning for Tony's return aligns with CBS' nostalgic approach with its other two Tuesday-night offerings bringing former leads back into the fold in major ways. In the Bull vet's words:One is just in purely practical terms, I think CBS is building an incredible Tuesday night. You have LL Cool J and Scott Caan and the rest of the cast they’ve put together [on] NCIS: New York. Then you have Mark Harmon returning to on camera in a regular way in Origins, which is going to be just a huge resonant thunderclap to fans. … If you look at Mark Harmon is the OG and LL Cool J is the OG before there were OG, I’m just happy that they invited me to this party.No matter how many NCIS spinoffs are crafted into existence the near future, Mark Harmon will always be one of the first things people think of when the franchise comes up. Understandable, since he can boast the bonkers stat that he's been part of 475 episodes as Leroy Gibbs. Then you have LL Cool J, who has portrayed Sam Hanna for more than 325 episodes across multiple franchise entries, and is now set to head up the latest offshoot, NCIS: New York. Which isn't to take shots at NCIS leads Gary Cole, Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law or anyone else who joined the show after Michael Weatherly left. But it does make sense that producers would want to inject another longtimer into the mix. Plus, it's kinda fun to see Weatherly sharing the screen with the characters who only joined after DiNozzo jumped ship. (Image credit: CBS)Michael Weatherly's second reason for why now is the best time for Tony to make his way back to the Washington D.C. squad. And it all has to do with what the character has lived through in the interim, particularly when it comes to his overseas adventures with his significant other and his daughter. NCIS: Tony & Ziva gave us a window into the emotional, paternal, responsible, mature side of DiNozzo. We got to see him running a company. We got to see him being a father and making decisions where he was not just ego-driven, but he was thinking about not just saving the world from an evil bad guy, but also saving his family from the disruption and the chaos that we all encounter in our lives.I'm excited to see what the connective tissue will be between Tony & Ziva and the character's return here. But for all that Tony is a more mature and professional agent now, I can't imagine he'll be totally stone-faced and free from hijinks throughout Season 24. Somebody's head needs to get smacked here. We already know that NCIS: New York will be bringing flagship star Brian Dietzen over for Jimmy Palmer to mix it up with Sam and Scott Caan's Nick Schaeffer. Is it possible that Michael Weatherly will be one of the other guest stars planned for its first season.NCIS will be back for its 24th season premiere on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.