"NCIS" Season 14 rating and popularity has dropped significantly after the popular character, Tony DiNozzo, made an exit in Season 13. Now it seems that his return on the show is the only hope ;left for the show runners to bring back the lost ratings.

DiNozzo, a character played by actor Michael Weatherly, is one of the most loved characters by the fans on the show. However, Weatherly left after "NCIS" Season 13. The show moved on after his exit, however, the fans remained disappointed from his exit.

According to Australian News Network, Weatherly's exit disrupted everything on the show, from story to the actual cast and crew members. One of the major changes include the introduction of two new actors - Wilmer Valderrama and Jennifer Esposito.

However, the changes introduced by the show runners were not enough to save show's popularity from declining after Weatherly's exit. Fans of the show started to boycott "NCIS" Season 14 altogether, since their favorite actor was not a part of it anymore.

Not it is rumored that the "NCIS" team may bring back Weatherly back on the show, just for the same of declining popularity and viewership. According to the Gamer's Drop, the rating of the show has declined by as much as 13.35 percent on an average since the last season.

Meanwhile, it is rumored that DiNozzo may return back in "NCIS" Season 14 episode 7 titled "Home of the Brave." The episode could be about DiNozzo facing his past and what all bas deeds he commits as a father.

The fans believe that DiNozzo's return on the show will return back its popularity and ratings. In addition, Weatherly's return to the show is expected to put off all the cancellation rumors.

Even though CBS has already renewed the series for "NCIS" Season 15, fans believe that its survival is based on whether DiNozzo will make a comeback or not.