LL Cool J’s Return Chances in NCIS’ Next Season Addressed by Producer

LL Cool J’s NCIS character, Special Agent Sam Hanna, first appeared in Season 1 of NCIS: Los Angeles. After reprising his role in Season 22, episode 18, of NCIS, many fans wondered if they could expect to see Sam again in the future.

Per TVInsider, NCIS executive producer Steven D. Binder addressed this possibility. Binder has stated that there is no official word on whether LL Cool J will return to the show next season. However, he did not rule out the possibility, stating, “But I, as a showrunner, say LL always has a place at NCIS. They all do. They’re all great. They’re pros. We love having them.” He continued, “It’s just people have very busy schedules, especially he does. So making it work is a logistical challenge and probably the bottleneck more than anything to why you may or may not see more. Not because there’s not a desire and a will, just because scheduling is very difficult. Todd showed up in [Episode 18]. From Episode 1, we were like, ‘OK, when can we make this work?'”

Sam’s Cameo in Season 22, Episode 18, potentially set up for future character appearances. In the episode, “After the Storm,” Sam reminisced about his time at the agency and how he missed it. Vance, played by Rocky Carroll, would tell him in the episode, “There’s always a place for you back at NCIS.” Binder reflected on this moment, stating, “I wish we could have done more of that. We were trying to service all the characters, so we didn’t necessarily create a story per se about one of the characters. And I’m getting the impression that that was a command decision fail on my part.” With Season 22 leaving many viewers unsatisfied, fans anxiously await the next season in the hopes it will provide some much-needed closure.

NCIS’s Spinoffs

Over the years, NCIS has had seemingly countless interconnected spinoff series. LL Cool J’s appearance on NCIS Season 22 provided fans with a much-appreciated update after NCIS: Los Angeles’ finale in 2023. Other spinoff series, including NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Hawai’i, have taken advantage of their interconnected worlds to provide fans with updates and sometimes even bring characters back.

The most recent NCIS spinoffs include the prequel series NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney. Additionally, alongside NCIS Season 23, a new spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, is set to premiere this fall. The series will follow the fan-favorite couple, played by Michael Weatherly and Cote De Pablo, and will consist of 10 episodes. Unlike NCIS Season 23, Tony & Ziva will premiere for streaming on Paramount+.