CBSMichael Weatherly might be saying goodbye to NCIS tonight after 13 seasons, but it's probably not the last time you'll see Tony DiNozzo in the NCIS universe. The actor has already agreed to return for a guest spot—well, not formally, but he's absolutely interested.
"I believe in the franchise of NCIS very much and it's why I went and did NCIS L.A. last year and NCIS New Orleans," he told reporters before his final NCIS episode as a series regular. "In fact, last year I did 26 episodes of NCIS—the franchise—which is insane."
It's okay, though, because he cares about the show and the world so much. "You know, you wouldn't really want a mortal person to be doing that, but luckily I'm made of titanium and it's a very strong," he joked. "I would absolutely be open to anything and everything, including things that no one's even thought of yet—so I would say the long answer is yes [to a guest spot in the future]."
NCIS (and now its two spinoffs) have become an integral part of the TV landscape, something Weatherly attributes to the close-knit community the cast and crew have created.
"I think everyone understands that it's a show about a group of people that work really hard together but they love each other like a family—but they're not a family like Blue Bloods is a family," he said. "This isn't [an actual] family. These are coworkers. They just are good at their jobs, respect each other, love each other and have each other's back."
He continued, "I think it's a great show for the world, especially in very uncertain times, to be able to know that there's good people out there who have a sense of humor but also have a sense of honor."
When asked for his favorite episode, Weatherly paused—he does have more than 300 to choose from, after all—but ultimately chose "Truth or Consequences," the show's seventh season premiere.
"That's one of those questions that is both incredibly easy but also frustrating to answer because it changes depending on what my blood sugar level is or what," he confessed. "But time and time again I go back to this episode called 'Truth or Consequences,' which was the season premiere of season seven. The reason I keep going back to that episode, written by Jesse Stern, directed by Dennis Smith and just well-executed on every level, is that it was really a primer on what NCIS was at that point in time," he said.
"And because of the story that was unfolding and the way that story got told, if you were a brand new viewer 'Truth of Consequences' would be a great first episode to watch because it really revealed all the characters and the dynamics of the show and tonally and everything else. It really fired on all cylinders."
Weatherly's final NCIS episode airs tonight at 8 p.m. on CBS.