‘NCIS’: LL Cool J to Reprise Role as Sam Hanna — Get Details

Meredith Jacobs March 20, 2025, 1:14 pm

LL Cool J as Sam Hanna in 'NCIS: Hawai'i' Season 3 Premiere - 'Run and Gun' — Karen Neal/CBS

NCIS is getting a blast from the past in an upcoming episode.

LL Cool J will reprise his NCIS: Los Angeles role as Sam Hanna in the April 21 episode, he announced on social media. (Following NCIS: Los Angeles‘ 14-season run ending in 2023, LL Cool J appeared as a special guest star in Hawai’i‘s final season.) “Back on set, baby. NCIS. Let’s get it.” Watch the video below.

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In the episode, “When a trio of combat vets are found murdered in a D.C. motel room, NCIS tracks down a suspect who refuses to talk to anyone but Sam Hanna.”

Brian Dietzen had previously revealed to TV Insider that he had filmed with a returning cast member. “I’m not allowed to tell you, but I’ll tell you it’s someone from NCIS‘ past, and it’s going to be fantastic, and I think people are really going to lose their s**t,” he said while discussing the March 3 episode. He was referring to LL Cool J, with whom he worked during the three-show crossover with NCIS: Hawai’i in 2023.

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“Yeah, that’s one of those things where you think, yeah, Brian Dietzen and LL Cool J star in a buddy cop film. It was a blast to do,” Dietzen told us soon after the crossover. “Really, we had a good time and Todd is just a wonderful person to work with. I’ve seen him at so many different functions because of CBS and we’ve been able to talk and obviously he’s the GOAT, he’s one of the greatest entertainers, rappers of all time. And so being able to actually share scenes with him, I was very excited for it and it didn’t disappoint. Between he and I and Vanessa Lachey, we got to have some fun in that black ops holding cell for a few days, and yeah, it was really, really great.”

NCIS returns with new episodes on March 24, with “Moonlit,” in which a Navy Lieutenant’s death reveals ties to Special Agent Sawyer (Zane Holtz). Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) and Knight (Katrina Law) uncover a murder linked to a wealthy family. Meanwhile, Parker (Gary Cole) discovers a shocking connection between his mother’s death and Lily.

What are you hoping to see from LL Cool J’s guest spot on NCIS? Let us know in the comments section below.

NCIS, Mondays, 9/8c, CBS