Michael Weatherly returns to 'NCIS' as the new director
7 october 2026 в 18:28
The premiere of Season 24 of the series «NCIS» began with a shootout and the unexpected appointment of a new director, with Michael Weatherly’s character, Anthony «Tony» DiNozzo, at the center of events.
The plot of the new season unfolds in a dark alley, where Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) encounters Timothy McGee’s (Sean Murray) son, Mateo (Patrick Keane), who is suspected of hacking one of the computers at headquarters. In the finale of Season 23, viewers heard a gunshot, but who was injured was revealed only in the episode that aired on October 6. It turned out that Tony was the one who got hurt, having accidentally been nearby.
Showrunner Steven D. Binder explained that Weatherly’s return required the creation of a «really big» introduction for his character. He noted that while it could have been written for Mateo to injure Torres or vice versa, the writers did not find those options «particularly interesting». Instead, they decided it would be «fun» if Mateo accidentally shot Tony.
During the episode, McGee frantically searched for Mateo but calmed down when he saw Tony emerging from the ambulance. Tony’s injury was not deep and was not life-threatening, but Mateo was still on the run, and no one knew why he had stolen classified information from NCIS.
As the plot developed, it became clear that Mateo was being used by criminals to get to the daughter of the Secretary of the Navy, who had been kidnapped. Meanwhile, the new NCIS Deputy Director, Gabriel LaRoche (Seamus Dever), suspended McGee and Torres from the case, making it clear that things would change under his leadership.
Tony, who returned to Washington to open his private security company’s office, decided to team up with McGee and Torres to find out what was happening and to protect Mateo. The episode also revealed that Ziva David, Tony’s former partner, is in the U.S. and is watching their daughter Tali, who has started attending a new private school in Boston.
At the end of the episode, the Secretary of the Navy (Jillian Armenante) met with Tony and informed him that she had previously offered him the position of Deputy Director of NCIS, but he had declined. Now, after LaRoche’s dismissal for his inability to lead, Tony has become the top candidate, and she was not going to take no for an answer. Binder noted that Tony would be a «decisive director», - but he would do it his way.
In the upcoming episodes, Tony will use movie quotes and show more maturity, although their dynamic with McGee will change, as both are now parents. Binder added that in the second episode, Tony will begin his work as director, and in the third, viewers will see how everything returns to normal.
«NCIS» airs on CBS on Tuesdays at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
The plot of the new season unfolds in a dark alley, where Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) encounters Timothy McGee’s (Sean Murray) son, Mateo (Patrick Keane), who is suspected of hacking one of the computers at headquarters. In the finale of Season 23, viewers heard a gunshot, but who was injured was revealed only in the episode that aired on October 6. It turned out that Tony was the one who got hurt, having accidentally been nearby.
Showrunner Steven D. Binder explained that Weatherly’s return required the creation of a «really big» introduction for his character. He noted that while it could have been written for Mateo to injure Torres or vice versa, the writers did not find those options «particularly interesting». Instead, they decided it would be «fun» if Mateo accidentally shot Tony.
During the episode, McGee frantically searched for Mateo but calmed down when he saw Tony emerging from the ambulance. Tony’s injury was not deep and was not life-threatening, but Mateo was still on the run, and no one knew why he had stolen classified information from NCIS.
As the plot developed, it became clear that Mateo was being used by criminals to get to the daughter of the Secretary of the Navy, who had been kidnapped. Meanwhile, the new NCIS Deputy Director, Gabriel LaRoche (Seamus Dever), suspended McGee and Torres from the case, making it clear that things would change under his leadership.
Tony, who returned to Washington to open his private security company’s office, decided to team up with McGee and Torres to find out what was happening and to protect Mateo. The episode also revealed that Ziva David, Tony’s former partner, is in the U.S. and is watching their daughter Tali, who has started attending a new private school in Boston.
At the end of the episode, the Secretary of the Navy (Jillian Armenante) met with Tony and informed him that she had previously offered him the position of Deputy Director of NCIS, but he had declined. Now, after LaRoche’s dismissal for his inability to lead, Tony has become the top candidate, and she was not going to take no for an answer. Binder noted that Tony would be a «decisive director», - but he would do it his way.
In the upcoming episodes, Tony will use movie quotes and show more maturity, although their dynamic with McGee will change, as both are now parents. Binder added that in the second episode, Tony will begin his work as director, and in the third, viewers will see how everything returns to normal.
«NCIS» airs on CBS on Tuesdays at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
© Artemenko Olga
