Michael Weatherly
Michael Weatherly as special agent Tony DiNozzo in NCIS CBS

NCIS season 13 has gone on a brief hiatus and will return with new episodes on 19 April at 8pm EST on CBS. Episode 21 is titled, Return To Sender, where Leroy Jethro Gibbs teams up with FBI and Homeland after two British prisoners escape and cross international borders.

The official synopsis reads as follows:

Fans already know that the show is building towards special agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo exiting the series. Michael Weatherly, who plays the character, is leaving the show after the season 13 finale.

In the previous episode, fans witness DiNozzo getting into introspective mode after two fake agents tried to take his identity. The episode revealed that the identity thieves were hired by a woman, called Leah, from his past. This entire incident made DiNozzo question his life choices and his future ahead, thereby, building the momentum towards his leaving the NCIS department by the season 13 finale episode.

According to showrunner Gary Glasberg, the show is indeed moving towards Tony's exit. He told Parade.com, "We're having a lot of fun with that. Then from Episodes 303 to 306, we're really ramping up to the finale. We're 100 percent conscious of wanting to deliver everything that fans want from this storyline, and everything that we can in terms of Tony's exit and what that means to everybody."

The possible exit plot for Tony may include Ziva David's (Cote de Pablo) return and the lovebirds finally getting their happily ever after. Let us know how you want to see Tony exit from the show in the comments section below.

More from IBTimes UK