‘NCIS’s Latest Comeback Comes With a Tragic Catch

Published Sep 3, 2026, 11:48 PM EDT Amanda M. Castro is a Network TV writer at Collider and a New York–based journalist whose work has appeared in Newsweek, where she is an Associate Editor, and The U.S. Sun, where she previously served as a Senior Consumer Reporter. She specializes in network television coverage, delivering sharp, thoughtful analysis of long-running procedural hits and ambitious new dramas across broadcast TV. At Collider, Amanda explores character arcs, storytelling trends, and the cultural impact of network series that keep audiences tuning in week after week. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Amanda is bilingual and holds a degree in Communication, Film, and Media Studies from the University of New Haven. LL Cool J is bringing Sam Hanna back to the NCIS universe, but this time, the longtime agent isn’t simply returning for another assignment. He’s going home, and unfortunately for Sam, homecoming comes with a body. NCIS: New York premieres October 6 on CBS, marking LL Cool J’s first full-time return to the franchise since NCIS: Los Angeles ended after 14 seasons in 2023. Sam has appeared sporadically since then, including on NCIS: Hawai’i and the flagship series, but this is different. He’s once again leading a show of his own; there’s just one grim reason he finds himself back in New York in the first place. 'NCIS: New York' Brings Sam Hanna Home for a Murder Investigation Image via CBS Sam’s return to New York isn’t exactly a triumphant homecoming. In the series premiere, his friend, Navy reservist Jack Halloway, is found dead, prompting Sam to ask NCIS New York field office director Robyn Wells, played by Jennifer Beals, for permission to investigate. Because Jack was someone Sam knew well, the case is different from the typical assignment. Wells agrees, but she doesn’t let Sam handle it alone, pairing him with Scott Caan’s Nick Schaeffer. Sam is an experienced NCIS agent and former Navy SEAL who spent years working in Los Angeles, while Nick is a New Yorker through and through. He’s spent his entire career in the city and knows its neighborhoods, people, and rhythms. He’s also described as roguish, blunt, and more than willing to push Sam’s buttons. It’s a pretty good recipe for the kind of partnership NCIS has always understood, pairing two very different people and forcing them to spend an unreasonable amount of time together while solving murders. After decades away, New York doesn’t quite feel like home anymore for Sam. The city has changed, the people he knew have changed, and Sam has changed with them. As LL Cool J has put it, he’ll have to figure out what it means to come back to a place that once defined him. 'NCIS: New York' Is Going Darker Than Its Predecessors Image via CBS Dennis Smith, a veteran NCIS director who has helmed more than 60 episodes of the flagship series as well as dozens of NCIS: Los Angeles episodes, has described the new spinoff as “much darker” and “edgier.” That’s particularly notable coming from someone who has spent years working within the franchise’s established formula. According to Smith, it’s also the kind of series R. Scott Gemmill has wanted to make for some time. Gemmill knows NCIS better than most. He previously served as showrunner on NCIS: Los Angeles, and he’s now bringing that experience to the new series after creating The Pitt. Byron Balasco serves as showrunner, with Gemmill writing the pilot and executive producing. NCIS: New York will still have the investigations, federal agents, and personal storylines that have kept the franchise running for more than two decades, but its setting gives the series room to feel different. The creative team wants to explore all five boroughs and the city's less polished corners. New York is crowded, chaotic, and constantly moving. If NCIS: New York actually captures that energy rather than treating the city as a collection of recognizable establishing shots, it could give the franchise its freshest identity in years. Scott Caan and LL Cool J Could Be 'NCIS: New York's Secret Weapon Image via CBS Caan plays Nick as the local expert who loves New York and feels responsible for protecting it. Sam, meanwhile, is returning to a city he once knew intimately but now views almost like a stranger. Their contrast gives the two agents plenty to argue about, but there’s genuine affection underneath the friction. It also helps that LL Cool J and Caan appear to have the kind of chemistry the franchise depends on. Their characters reportedly spend plenty of time teasing each other, with Caan’s Nick particularly interested in getting Sam to loosen up, and Sam isn’t exactly famous for oversharing, so that could take some work. The rest of the team rounds things out. Beals’ Robyn is an intuitive, respected leader whose superiors have bigger ambitions for her than she does. Jacqueline Byers’ Addy Ross is a tough, highly capable former Naval Intelligence specialist trying to step out of her father’s shadow, while Shane Harper’s Wyatt Sellers is a former Marine adjusting to life in New York. Devin Druid’s Sean Sullivan is the team’s brilliant, arrogant tech specialist with a complicated relationship with authority. Sam is returning to the place that made him, investigating the death of someone he cared about and trying to decide whether he still belongs there. For a franchise that has built its reputation on familiar faces and comfortable formulas, giving one of its most recognizable agents a reason to come home — and something unresolved waiting for him when he does — could be exactly the shake-up NCIS needs. Release Date October 6, 2026 Network CBS Directors Eagle Egilsson, Adam Davidson Cast Scott Caan Nick Schaeffer Jennifer Beals Robyn Wells Jacqueline Byers Addison Ross