LL Cool J returns to the NCIS franchise in the spinoff series NCIS: New York.
The actor opened up about reprising Sam Hanna and the character's impact on the franchise.
For almost two decades, fans have seen LL Cool J on various shows in the NCIS franchise. Now he’s coming back to the TV universe—and he’s opening up about his legacy.
Fans first met LL Cool J as Sam Hanna on NCIS: Los Angeles in 2009, which was the first official NCIS spinoff. He was on the show for its entire run, which ended in 2023 after 14 seasons. He appeared on NCIS: Hawai’i in May 2023 and most recently on the flagship series in April 2026. Now, LL Cool J is stepping back into Sam’s shoes for the new series, NCIS: New York, which airs on Tuesdays on CBS.
As he told People at the NCIS: New York premiere on October 1, he loves to keep learning new things about Sam.
“We’re still finding new things and exploring new things and being introduced to new aspects of the character,” he told the outlet. “[It’s] so natural in the sense that I know who Sam is, but still new in the sense that I’m still being surprised every day.”
And he’s ready to continue the legacy he started 17 years ago.
“Life is about learning, right?” he added. “If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. And so, you know, like the real gift is like reading one book for four or five years straight because you learn more. That’s how you become a black belt in a specific book, as opposed to reading it once and putting it down.”
“By playing this character and watching this human being go through all of these various, you know, peaks, valleys, and everything in between,” he said. “[You] learn more about yourself. You know what I’m saying? That’s life.”
