A new NCIS spin-off based in Hawaii is expected to debut in fall 2021, with the opportunity for the show to present some brand new content. It could also be a way to bring back past characters that have been featured on NCIS, NCIS: Red, NCIS: Los Angeles, and NCIS: New Orleans.
CBS canceled NCIS: NOLA, with the show slated to air its final episode in May 2021. A number of people behind the scenes at that show were also tapped to begin work on a spin-off, with the backstory being that it will focus on an NCIS team based in Hawaii.
There is still a lot of mystery surrounding how the Hawaii spin-off will work. We don’t even know the NCIS: Hawaii cast members just yet. It’s possible that the cast consists of mostly fresh faces with a few people brought on to help lead the show.
NCIS has had Mark Harmon for 18 years, NCIS: LA tapped Chris O’Donnell and LL COOL J, and NCIS: NOLA had Scott Bakula and Lucas Black leading the way. Fans of the New Orleans spin-off have still not recovered from when Black’s character was killed off.
Could Michael Weatherly return as Anthony DiNozzo?
From 2003 to 2016, actor Michael Weatherly played Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Tony was involved in a relationship with Ziva David (played by Cote de Pablo) for a lot of that time, and he was also the right-hand man for Gibbs (Harmon).
Weatherly last appeared on the show in spring 2016, but the character has been referenced quite a few times since then. As for Weatherly, he went on to star on the CBS drama, Bull. Season 5 of Bull currently airs Monday nights on CBS.
Is Bull canceled at CBS?
Ratings are way down for Bull during Season 5, making it a tough call when trying to predict if CBS is going to renew the drama. It’s an expensive one to produce, so it needs to do well in primetime to make back that money for the network. With the current season only averaging about five million live viewers each week, it’s definitely on the chopping block.
If Bull does get canceled, that would free up the schedule for Weatherly to reappear within the world of NCIS. One possible theory is that he could reprise his role on NCIS and take over if Mark Harmon decides to finally leave the show. There had been some recent NCIS rumors about Harmon doing just that.
Will CBS move on from Michael Weatherly?
Since leaving NCIS, there has been a bit of negative buzz around Weatherly. Actress Eliza Dushku, who also appeared as a character on Bull, claimed that she was written off the show after saying she felt uncomfortable about remarks that Weatherly had made to her. Dushku won a lawsuit over the alleged harassment, Weatherly apologized, and it’s possible that this could be a reason CBS doesn’t bring Weatherly back to NCIS in the future.
NCIS: Hawaii does not yet have a release date at CBS.
We love the TV show BULL with Michael Weatherly. Would love to see him on NCIS: Hawaii too :)