When Tony DiNozzo walks back into the world of NCIS in Season 24, one of the most important reunions will not necessarily be Tony and the newest members of the team. It will be Tony and Timothy McGee, two agents whose relationship has changed dramatically since they first worked together. Michael Weatherly is returning as Tony for a season-long arc, while Sean Murray remains one of the central members of the current team as McGee. But the version of McGee Tony is coming back to is not the same “Probie” he left behind, and Tony himself is no longer the same agent either.
Tony Is Coming Back to a Team That Moved On
Tony left NCIS after Season 13, meaning almost a decade has passed since he was a full-time member of the team. During that time, McGee continued growing inside the agency and eventually became one of its most experienced senior field agents. The official Season 24 description now identifies McGee as a senior field agent, a far cry from the nervous newcomer Tony used to tease. That difference could make their reunion one of the most fascinating character dynamics of the new season.
Tony, meanwhile, is returning under very different circumstances. He is no longer an NCIS special agent and instead arrives in Washington to open a satellite office for his private security company. CBS has confirmed that his return is part of a season-long storyline rather than a one-episode appearance. The Season 24 premiere, “Wayward Son,” specifically brings Tony into the team’s investigation involving a new threat to the Secretary of the Navy.
McGee Is No Longer Tony’s “Probie”
For longtime viewers, one of the funniest aspects of Tony and McGee’s relationship was the imbalance between them. When McGee joined the team, Tony was already confident, experienced and comfortable with Gibbs’ rules. McGee was the younger agent who was still learning how to survive the personalities around him. Tony’s habit of calling him “Probie” became one of the defining jokes between them.
That dynamic cannot simply return unchanged. McGee has spent years developing into a senior agent, and his official character description now emphasizes his experience and specialized computer skills. He is also a different person outside the office, with a family and responsibilities that Tony did not see during their earliest years together. When Tony returns, he will be meeting an old friend who has essentially grown into the kind of agent Tony once was.
Tony Has Changed Too
The transformation is not one-sided. Tony may still have the same humor, confidence and ability to irritate his friends, but the circumstances of his life have changed dramatically. His return follows his time away from the NCIS team and his recent appearance in NCIS: Tony & Ziva. CBS describes the Season 24 storyline as a reunion with the NCIS team, while reporting around the comeback has emphasized that Tony has matured since his original departure.
That maturity could completely change the tone of his relationship with McGee. In the past, Tony often positioned himself as the more experienced agent who could push McGee around. Now, there is much less reason for him to treat McGee as the rookie. If anything, Tony may have to recognize that McGee has become a highly capable agent who does not need Tony’s guidance anymore.
The Season 24 Trailer Already Hints at the Change
The first Season 24 trailer gives fans an early indication of how different this reunion will be. Tony tells McGee, “It’s a new me,” directly acknowledging that the character has changed. The line is particularly effective because McGee is one of the people most qualified to judge whether Tony really has changed or is simply pretending to be more mature.
That could become an ongoing joke throughout the season. McGee may remember exactly who Tony used to be and refuse to accept every claim of personal growth at face value. At the same time, Tony could discover that the old McGee is gone too. Their conversations therefore have the potential to be both funny and surprisingly emotional, because every joke can carry the weight of everything that happened while they were apart.
Their Professional Roles Have Completely Reversed
Perhaps the biggest difference is their professional status. Tony was once the established field agent while McGee was the junior member trying to find his place. Now McGee is an established senior field agent working under Parker, while Tony is essentially returning as an outsider. Recent Season 24 photos even emphasize that change by showing Tony back inside the NCIS workplace wearing a visitor badge.
That visitor badge may be a small detail, but symbolically it says a lot. Tony used to walk into the office as though it belonged to him. Now he is technically a guest. McGee, meanwhile, is still there doing the job Tony once did. The image quietly reverses the old hierarchy and could set the tone for their entire relationship in Season 24.
McGee May Be the One Person Who Can Challenge Tony
Tony’s charisma has always been one of his biggest strengths, but it can also allow him to avoid uncomfortable situations. McGee knows him too well for that. After years of working together, McGee has seen Tony’s jokes, insecurities, confidence and mistakes. That history means he can potentially call Tony out in ways that newer members of the team cannot.
At the same time, McGee may be more confident now than he was when Tony left. He has survived major cases, losses and career changes while continuing to grow as an agent. If Tony tries to fall back into their old dynamic, McGee may simply refuse to play along. That could create some of the funniest exchanges of the season while also demonstrating just how much both characters have changed.
The New Team Makes Their Reunion Even More Interesting
Tony is not returning to the exact team he left. Alden Parker now leads the NCIS squad, while Torres, Knight, Jimmy and Kasie have their own established relationships and histories. McGee is one of the few people still around who personally remembers Tony as a regular member of the team. That makes McGee an important bridge between Tony’s past and the current version of NCIS.
It also means Tony will have to learn the new team’s rhythm rather than simply slipping back into his old position. McGee can help with that, but he is not Tony’s subordinate anymore. Their relationship can therefore become something more balanced: two experienced professionals who know each other extremely well but now operate in completely different worlds.
Their Friendship Could Become More Important Than Their Old Rivalry
One of the best directions Season 24 could take is to focus less on the old Tony-versus-McGee teasing and more on the friendship underneath it. Tony’s return creates an opportunity to show what happens when two people who spent years working together meet again after becoming different versions of themselves. The jokes will almost certainly remain, but there is room for a deeper emotional connection as well.
That is particularly relevant because Tony’s return is not just a nostalgic cameo. CBS has confirmed that Weatherly is part of a season-long arc, giving the writers much more time to explore his relationships with the current team. If McGee is one of the people who understands Tony’s past best, their friendship could become one of the emotional threads connecting Tony’s old life with his new one.
Season 24 Could Give Fans a New Version of Their Dynamic
The most exciting possibility is that NCIS will not try to recreate the Tony and McGee relationship exactly as it was. That would probably feel unnatural after so many years. Instead, Season 24 can acknowledge their history while allowing both characters to move forward. Tony can still be the charismatic troublemaker, while McGee can still be the brilliant agent Tony once called “Probie,” but neither character has to occupy the same position they did years ago.
That creates a much richer dynamic. McGee can tease Tony about being out of touch, Tony can joke about McGee finally becoming the senior agent in the room, and both can occasionally realize that the person standing across from them is someone they have not truly known for years. Their friendship can therefore evolve without losing the humor that made it memorable.
Tony and McGee Have Both Grown Up
Ultimately, the title says more than simply that Tony and McGee have different jobs now. They are not the same agents because they are not the same people. Tony left NCIS and built a new life, while McGee stayed and steadily became one of the team’s most experienced agents. Their Season 24 reunion is therefore less about returning to the past than discovering what remains of a friendship after both people have changed.
That is why their scenes could become some of the most anticipated moments of the new season. Michael Weatherly’s Tony is returning for a substantial arc, while Sean Murray’s McGee remains an essential part of the current NCIS team. When NCIS Season 24 premieres on October 6, the most interesting question may not be whether Tony and McGee still have their old chemistry. It may be whether they can build something even better now that neither of them is the agent they used to be.