CBS Officially Confirms NCIS’s Leon Vance Replacement in Season 24

CBS replaces Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) as NCIS director in NCIS Season 24’s premiere, easing concerns about new leadership as Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) returns to the flagship and officially steps into the role. Vance’s death in the 1000th episode of NCIS left the position open, creating a power vacuum heading into NCIS Season 24.

A few months later, CBS announced that Weatherly would return to the flagship in NCIS Season 24 for a season-long story arc. That said, his return had more in store than audiences expected, as Tony steps up and delivers real results when the Secretary of the Navy’s daughter is kidnapped, and she forces him to take the leadership role.

Tony DiNozzo Replaces Leon Vance As NCIS Director In Season 24

NCIS Season 24 has officially filled the director’s chair with a familiar face, as Tony unexpectedly steps into the role at the start of the new season. The development brings exciting prospects for the team, as DiNozzo is undoubtedly one of the most iconic NCIS characters, and his return builds on years of franchise lore.

Tony returns to Washington to start a satellite office of his private security firm, Salus Mondiale. Still, there’s more to his story, as NCIS Season 24’s premiere reveals that SECNAV offered him the position of NCIS Director. Though he initially turns it down, SECNAV forces it on him after his swift action saves her daughter.

So, Tony has officially become Vance’s successor, delivering a classic NCIS bait-and-switch. At first, it seemed Gabriel LaRoche (Seamus Deaver) was the new NCIS director, and he used the office to enforce strict rules and bench nearly the entire Major Case Response Team, but it ultimately turns out Tony was SECNAV’s first choice all along.

Tony is officially back at NCIS Headquarters now, leading an office he once worked in as a Special Agent from NCIS Seasons 1 to 13. It’s a massive development, and Tony’s central NCIS role also raises the possibility of Ziva David’s (Cote de Pablo) return. However, showrunner Steven D. Binder confirmed that she’s out of the picture for now.

Tony’s Return In NCIS Season 24 Is Better Than NCIS: Tony & Ziva

Image via CBS

NCIS Season 24 isn’t the first time that Weatherly has returned to the franchise since Tony’s exit in NCIS Season 13. The actor returned to the flagship in NCIS Season 21’s tribute episode to Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard after David McCallum’s death, raising awareness of the character’s return as the franchise announced a spinoff focused on Tony and Ziva.

Tony’s NCIS Season 21 appearance was brief, though, limited to a single scene with Dr. Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) and Timothy McGee (Sean Murray). Furthermore, NCIS: Tony and Ziva was canceled after Season 1, following its launch on Paramount+ in 2025, and the characters’ separation from the flagship and NCIS’s network TV format didn’t help.

Tony’s flagship comeback is a better prospect than his own spinoff. While an offshoot dedicated to Tony and Ziva’s continuing story was exciting after their respective exits, many wanted to see the characters return to the original show, where they had planted their roots and maintained lasting connections with longstanding characters like Palmer and McGee.

NCIS Season 24’s premiere finally gives a taste of that long-awaited reunion, as McGee gets to know the new, more professional side of Tony. Still, the benefit of NCIS: Tony & Ziva is that the spinoff upgraded Tony, showing what he had been up to over the last 10 years, which helps justify his return as NCIS director.