Michael Weatherly was a beloved character on NCIS for over a decade. Fans are dying to see DiNozzo return one day – and based on the actor's recent social media posts – they are convinced it's happening soon. Is Tony DiNozzo coming back to NCIS? Keep reading to find out.

NCISis CBS's decades-long police procedural that premiered back in 2003. The show focuses on the personal and professional lives of special agents in the Naval Criminal Investigation Service's Major Case Response Team, which investigates criminal activity involving the United States Navy, Marine Corps and their families. NCIS remains the third-longest-running U.

S. primetime drama series behind Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order.

From Seasons 1 to 13, Weatherly played NCIS special agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo on NCIS. DiNozzo was a Senior Field Agent on the Major Response Team – originally led by Lethro Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) – and served as second-in-command. He was also the partner of NCIS special agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo). David was introduced to the team after their fellow agent Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander) was killed off in Season 2. 

Weatherly officially left the CBS drama in Season 13 (following de Pablo's exit in Season 11). In an interview with TV Insider in 2016, the actor revealed that he started to think seriously about his exit after de Pablo, his on-screen love interest, left.

"Their great dynamic, the badinage and sparring and flirting between those two characters and how they would swing from siblings to near lovers and back to buddies, that was gone," he responded, "and then I got to the point where I felt I'd stayed at the party for too long."

The 55-year-old actor continued: "I would look around the room and other people were really in sync and having fun. The show was a huge success, but I just suddenly realized that I probably had other things that I should be doing.

And then the wanderlust set in. I directed a documentary. I have a production company. And I wanted to spend time with my family." 

Weatherly also revealed what it was like to inform his bosses of his looming departure. "I think initially they thought I was negotiating my salary or trying to box clever," he recalled. "Then very quickly they realized I wasn't and I wanted everyone to be able to prepare and put time into Tony's leaving."

So, is Tony DiNozzo coming back to NCIS? Here's why fans think he'll make a return soon.