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Does Former ‘NCIS’ Star Michael Weatherly Hope Fans Will Learn To Love ‘Bull’ Character And Forget DiNozzo?

By Georgia Makitalo
Published on: 07:56 PST, Oct 26, 2017

Fans of Michael Weatherly should be quite delighted with the Bull Season 2 tweaks that have allowed his character, Jason Bull, to develop and bring out his more charming and humorous side. Does the former NCIS star hope fans will learn to love his new character and finally forget NCIS Agent Anthony DiNozzo?

When the new showrunner, Glenn Gordon Caron, joined Bull, the Toronto Sun reported that the former Medium and Moonlighting showrunner told 24 Hours that he had not changed Jason Bull, but instead, he had rounded him out. Caron calls Jason Bull a “complete character.”

He further explained that the first season was “concentrated on the trial science.” Now, Season 2 is about discovering who Dr. Bull and his coworkers are.

Caron explained the changes, but Weatherly revealed that he hoped he was “finally being accepted by his loyal fan base in his new role.” He has been told by loyal NCIS fans that they are not happy with his leaving the top show.

He explained some of the opinions of his longtime fans and hoped he could finally convert everyone.

“Construction worker no. 1 says, ‘I don’t know about Bull yet.’ Old Lady B would say, ‘You were very funny on NCIS; why aren’t you funnier on Bull?’ Then Man C says, ‘I didn’t like you on NCIS but I like you on Bull.’ So that’s what I get but I’m looking forward to the reaction this season which I hope is now their favorite show!”

Bull is certainly a favorite role for Michael Weatherly, allowing him to star in a show that allows him to start fresh and build a really unique character. The show is loosely based on Dr. Phil McGraw’s previous consultancy firm. This firm had helped Oprah beat a Texas lawsuit and propel Dr. Phil onto our television screens. Bull has a different case each week, and along with the case, viewers get more revelations about each show character.

Upon leaving NCIS, Weatherly was given the script from Bull, and he claimed, “I just fell in love.” He had to even speak to his wife about this, as he had promised more family time after NCIS. His intention was not to jump right into another show. This script gave him the sort of excitement that he had not felt in a long time.

Back in 2016, Weatherly had spoken to TV Insider about his original decision to leave NCIS and say goodbye to Agent Anthony DiNozzo at the end of Season 13. It started two seasons before, when Cote de Pablo, who portrayed the effervescent Ziva David left.

Weatherly admitted that he missed the banter between Tony and Ziva. The chemistry between the two actors was volatile, and the dialogue was playful.

“Their great dynamic, the badinage and sparring and flirting between those two characters and how they would swing from siblings to near lovers and back to buddies.”

Once “that was gone,” Weatherly admitted that he “felt I’d stayed at the party for too long.” He noticed that it was just him, as everyone around him appeared to be “having fun.” This was when Weatherly realized something had to change, and he looked beyond NCIS for some artistic fulfillment.

“I would look around the room and other people were really in sync and having fun. The show was a huge success, but I just suddenly realized that I probably had other things that I should be doing. And then the wanderlust set in. I directed a documentary. I have a production company. And I wanted to spend time with my family.”

Would Michael Weatherly ever reprise his role? He told the publication that he would certainly return, “if the story needed it,” But what is even more interesting is that he would be open to acting in another NCIS show, such as New Orleans or L.A., as the other stars of NCIS often do.

Hopefully, fans will flock back to Bull, which is currently lagging behind This Is Us in the same timeslot. According to USA Today, Bull is down 24 percent, from third place down to eighth. Will his former NCIS fans come back and see a funnier, more humane Jason Bull?

Have you watched Bull since they tweaked the show for Season 2? Or do you find that you miss Michael Weatherly portraying Tony Dinozzo on NCIS?

[Featured Image by Jemal Countess/Getty Images]

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