The NCIS franchise is returning this fall on the 2026 TV schedule, with a new show in tow. LL Cool J will once again be returning as Special Agent Sam Hanna for the upcoming spinoff, NCIS: New York. This will mark his third NCIS series appearance since NCIS: Los Angeles ended in 2023. And he has a surprising reason for always coming back.
On the heels of NCIS: LA’s finale, the rapper joined NCIS: Hawai’i’s third season in a recurring guest spot. Then earlier this year, he returned to the Mothership, appearing in a two-episode arc. It was hard to tell if he'd ever portray Sam Hanna again on a more permanent basis, but it surprisingly didn’t take long for CBS to formally announce NCIS: New York. The actor/rapper is now in his 17th year of playing Sam, and still loves it, telling Deadline what brought him back for this new round, and why he's still as enthusiastic as ever:
