LL Cool J is bringing Sam Hanna back to New York this fall with a brand new “NCIS” spinoff that CBS just greenlit for the 2026 season.
The legendary rapper and actor spent fourteen seasons building the character on “NCIS: Los Angeles” from 2009 to 2023, and now he’s taking the role home to where Sam originally came from.
Before the spinoff launches, he’s making appearances in the main “NCIS” show on April 21 and April 28 to bridge the transition and set up his character’s move to the East Coast.
Scott Caan is joining him as a new character in the series, bringing his own heavyweight television resume from his ten-year run on “Hawaii Five-0” between 2010 and 2020.
The pilot was written by Scott Gemmill, who spent all fourteen seasons writing for NCIS: Los Angeles and served as showrunner for seven of those years.
CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach explained the creative vision at a press briefing, saying, “LL is like a member of our family at CBS, and he’s done pop-ins at ‘NCIS’ the last two years, and it’s been really successful. And the opportunity for Sam Hanna, who is originally from New York but lived in LA for ‘NCIS: LA,’ to send him back home felt like a really ripe creative space to play in.”
The NCIS franchise itself has been running strong since 2003, and the main series will debut its 24th season this fall alongside the new spinoff.
LL Cool J’s career spans decades of entertainment success, from his early film work in “Krush Groove” and his television role on “In The House” from 1995 to 1999, to major motion pictures like “Deep Blue Sea,” “Halloween H20,” “Any Given Sunday,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “S.W.A.T.,” and “Mindhunters”.
His return to television’s biggest franchise represents another major move in his long history of balancing music and acting careers.