NCIS' Tony DiNozzo is on his way out, but he also on his way into the ground?

Michael Weatherly has portrayed very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo for the last 13 seasons, but May 17's "Family First" will see the actor take his final bow. Tony's departure is shrouded in mystery, and some fans are worried that means he might go the way of Kate.

Luckily for Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and his team, it doesn't look as if a funeral is in their future.

"The only thing that I'll say is he's involved in the whole final episode," showrunner Gary Glasberg told E! Online. "There are incredibly touching, emotional moments between Tony and the rest of our cast. Glean from that what you may!"

We know, we know; Kate also appeared in an entire episode before she took a bullet brain. Tony, however, has leaving on his mind. Between Ziva's (Cote de Pablo) season 12 departure and the events of "Charade," the snarky movie buff is ready to take a good hard look at his life.

"Tony is at a crossroads," Glasberg expalined. "He really has to make some really significant decisions, big enough that would pull him away from his NCIS family. That was really the challenge of all this, and in thinking about it for the last six months, is how do we come up with something that's big enough that would have Tony no longer be a part of this group?"

What do you think will pull Tony away form his friends and mentor? Will it be a one-way ticket to the afterlife or a chance to experience life away from the long hours and emotional gut punches of NCIS?

Find out more when NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Click the video below to see a preview for the series' most recent episode, "Return to Sender."

Tags: NCIS television CBS