Michael Weatherly’s ‘NCIS’ Return: 5 More Ways Past Characters Could Come Back
The great thing about a show that’s in its 21st season is that there are so many characters over the years who could return for a guest spot—and with NCIS, that includes some fan favorites, including one who did just that in the February 19 tribute to Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard and the late actor who played him, David McCallum.
The final scene of the episode saw Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) join Dr. Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen, who co-wrote the episode) and tell him he “wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The day after the episode aired, Weatherly wrote on social media that “being back … was truly Amazing” and “Ducky would have loved all the smiles.” And after that, we can’t help but try to wonder how we could see him and others again, like Gibbs (Mark Harmon), Ziva (Cote de Pablo), Abby (Pauley Perrette), Bishop (Emily Wickersham), and more.
Now, there doesn’t need to be a tragic event to bring people together (though there does probably need to be a little drama, because this is a TV show). Below, we take a look at five other ways past characters could return—and which ones are the most likely candidates for each.
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Past case: Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Bishop
Just because these agents aren’t on the team anymore—Gibbs is in Alaska, Tony and Ziva are raising their daughter in Paris, and Bishop left for other work—doesn’t mean that all their past case work just disappears. It’s easy to imagine there being some case we never saw one of them working coming up again and it brings one or more of them back to D.C.
A visit: Tony, Ziva, Abby
While it’s hard to imagine any character being in town just for a visit and it staying that way—no way would the current team turn down that experience and expertise!—it could easily start out that way. Maybe Tony and Ziva are visiting, and they bring their daughter to spend time with McGee’s (Sean Murray) kids when he finds out he has a case and has to return to work. Of course they then tag along. Maybe there’s something else going on in D.C. that catches Abby’s attention, and she decides to stop by to see how her former lab … and stays to work with Kasie (Diona Reasonover).
Current work: Bishop, Jack
Bishop left in the Season 18 finale to work an op with ex-CIA instructor Odette (Elayn J. Taylor), and who knows what she’s been up to since? She could be working on something that she finds she needs help from the current team with or leads to her crossing paths with them. Or maybe Jack (Maria Bello), who stayed in Afghanistan in Season 18, pops up for some reason.
Milestone episode: Anyone
These events are the perfect way to bring back past characters for any reason—including anyone who has died (like Lauren Holly‘s Jenny and Sasha Alexander‘s Kate), thanks to flashbacks. The franchise is reaching its 1,000th episode this April, airing on NCIS, and it could even be a way to bring back characters from shows that have ended (like Los Angeles and New Orleans).
An event or ceremony: Potentially anyone
Of course, there would be quite a few factors to consider when it comes to who would return, from what the event is (whether a work or personal one) to who is involved. For most of the past characters, it would have to be for McGee, Jimmy, or Vance (Rocky Carroll). For example, Gibbs could come back for something involving Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), maybe Knight (Katrina Law), but why would Tony or Abby? (Ziva might for Torres, perhaps if she was in the area.)
