Tony DiNozzo has come close to love several times in his life. He was engaged. He fell in love with the daughter of man he was trying to bring down. And he almost gave up everything to stay with Ziva in Israel forever. Yet, he still remains the eternal bachelor of "NCIS."

Michael Weatherly believes his character "has been waiting for something" for much too long and this is the year Tony will "figure that out," he told TV Fanatic. Watching Gibbs spend much of the last 15 years alone could spark Tony's drive to not end up in the same boat (or making one in his basement).

"I think when we look at Gibbs and how sad he is as a character... he's essentially living this life where it's not a total experience. He has no wife, no partner, he's living with all these ghosts," Weatherly said. "I get a little tired of it sometimes but the truth is, I think what that message is that's really sent to the audience is that Gibbs can't move on. He's trapped. So if I have a hope for Tony and hope between Gibbs and Tony and their relationship, it's that Gibbs sees his hope in Tony."

Tony and Gibbs will start the season at odds as the boss man recovers from the shooting that ended season 12 and Tony fills in as team leader again.

"There's issues that have to get worked out between team members, very specifically between Tony and Gibbs," Gary Glasberg told TVGuide.com. "It's tricky, and they're sensitive to what [Gibbs] is going through, and they're trying to be there for him as co-worker and as friend and as family member. They're being ultra-supportive of him."

"NCIS" will return on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. on CBS.