The Fans Speak: How Should Special Agent Tony DiNozzo Exit 'NCIS?'

Given that NCIS is in its 13th season, it shouldn't be surprising that some major changes are in order for the show. After all, this is a series which has never been afraid to kill off a recurring cast member or two when it suited the storyline. But still, news that Michael Weatherly is leaving at the end of this season hit fans hard, especially since there weren't a lot of hints about the move ahead of time.

In fact, the story seems to have been broken during an interview with fellow cast member David McCallum, who plays Ducky on the show. During a Q&A with U.K.-based Vulture Hound Magazine, he unexpectedly revealed the move:

"DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly, we’ve told people a long time ago, is leaving at the end of the season. So the writers have to decide what to do when one of the four members of the original cast leaves."

The actors, writers and producers of NCIS are notoriously tight-lipped about even the most mundane decisions on the show. So it's not likely fans will know what is in store for DiNozzo's final goodbye until it unwinds onscreen.

But that lack of knowledge doesn't stop Weatherly's fans from thinking about how they'd like to see him leave the show. Some of them have shared their thoughts on that last episode with AllYourScreens.

Have some thoughts of your own? Send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I'll share them in a follow-up piece.

"The character and the actor have been with the show since the JAG episodes. There has quite simply never been an episode of NCIS without Tony DiNozzo and I can't even imagine the show without him. He has been written as everything from a street-smart former cop with great instincts to the "idiot child in the corner" (Weatherly's own words), who served no purpose other than Ziva's purse. Through it all Michael Weatherly's performance made us love Tony DiNozzo.

The character was the heart and soul of the show, the one who always tried to do the right thing even when his fellow agents were not only bending the law, they were breaking it. For this, he deserves a great send off. He deserves a story focused on the good in DiNozzo, his smarts, his instincts, his skills, his humour, and his relationship with the whole team.  He deserves either a big promotion or to storm out on Gibbs in a final act of defiance. Both of these scenarios would leave open the possibility of a guest appearance when the series wraps up (my selfish wish). I could even deal with him dying heroically as long as he is the primary focus of the story. In other words, I want an exit that focuses as close to 100% on Tony and his relationship with the ENTIRE team as possible.

What I don't want is for Ziva to return. Tony was never more than the T in Tiva to some and I fear her return would change the focus to Tiva and only Tiva. The last time the show tried that with Past, Present and Future, it was an out of character disaster more suited to a telenovela than a quirky procedural. Michael Weatherly, Tony DiNozzo and NCIS all deserve better than that."

--Terry Delorme





"First, I think Tony's ending should be about "Tony", and not about fulfilling some fantasy for a small group of Tiva shippers.  So, no Tiva.  Ziva had her chance and chose to stay in Israel and  send Tony packing back to DC, so the guy deserves better.
 
I would love to see him get his own team or take a position in another agency that he finds fulfilling and where he could use the talents that have been mostly wasted the past few years.

I would also love the guy to have the hope of some sort of happy personal life, with the potential of finally getting the family he never had growing up.

Let him be happy, let him finally get recognized career-wise, and give him some love from someone who "gets" him and loves him for the great guy he is."

--Melinda Parsons




"Death. They've killed off prominent women characters; Kate, Paula Cassidy, Jenny, Michelle Lee so it's time they do something dramatic with this exit.

Have Tony die saving Gibbs, Abby & Ducky - the last 3 remaining originals.

I want to bawl my eyes out.

Have him live long enough for Kate to come and escort him into the light as Gibbs is sitting beside him. His loyal St Bernard's job is done."

--Joni





"I would love to see Tony realize he could never be a Gibbs, decide to get his own team and have him married to Ziva."

--Marla Dooley





"I could see Tony having his own team. Tony becoming the new "Stan Burley" and if Michael is willing to come back and do a few guest spots.

One thing that comes to my mind in dealing with Tony is Gibbs Rule #5 "Don't Waste Good". I feel that Gibbs has over the years tried to show Tony not to be him to be better than him (Gibbs). Just in the way all parents want and encourage their kids to be. If I remember correctly "Obession" season 7. Gibbs is that father figure/mentor for our great NCIS team. I think it is important to "honor" the things that Tony has learned from Gibbs.

On a funny side of Tony leaving: Tony figured out how to get Gibbs boat out of the basement and sails off to Jamaica. To live like Magnum PI.

My heart is sad with this news. NCIS means a lot to me. I have cerebral palsy and have had 11 surgeries, therefore, I have a lot of downtime. NCIS with its great cast and crew have helped me through some long tough days."

--Serena Nelson





"DiNozzo's exit should be heartfelt and gripping to the core. I would like to see a reverse of the epic Season 7 episode, Truth or Consequences, with Tony the one in danger. This way longtime favorite, Ziva, can join for his final moments and be the hero of the episode, the same way Tony was the hero in Truth or Consequences. It would also be a happy ending for the will they or won't they couple that the show established years ago, Bellisario's plan for the two unfolding at the end. A memorable ending for the two favorite characters."

--Cotes Army