Is Sam Hanna Joining NCIS Hawaii For Good? Is LL Cool J Coming Back?

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NCIS: Los Angeles may have ended, but fans still have LL Cool J. NCIS: Los Angeles’ Sam Hanna is joining NCIS: Hawai’i in the upcoming third season, but will he stay for good? Keep reading to see if LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna will nab a permanent spot on the Hawaii squad.

NCIS: Hawai’i is a CBS crime drama and the fourth spin-off in the NCIS franchise. The Hawaiian island-based series follows Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and her team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Hawaii. The team is responsible for investigating incidents relating to military and national security. Rounding out the cast is Alex Tarrant, Yasmine Al-Bustami, Tori Anderson, Noah Mills, Jason Antoon and Kian Talan.

LL Cool J (born James Todd Smith) made a brief appearance during the Season 2 finale and reprised his NCIS: Los Angeles character Sam Hanna, a former Navy SEAL-turned-special agent. The cameo came shortly after NCIS: Los Angeles aired its final episode in May 2023 after 14 seasons. During the special guest appearance, Hanna helped Tennant and her crew out of a bind in Venezuela.

As it turns out, the cameo was not a one-off and the rapper will be returning to the series in Season 3, which premieres on Feb. 12, 2024. “All of us at NCIS: Hawai’i have been huge fans of LL Cool J for years and couldn’t be more thrilled or honored to be adding his spectacular talent to our ohana for season three,” executive producers Matt Bosack, Jan Nash and Christopher Silber said in a statement back in May 2023. Lachey added: “One of the most beautiful things about working on NCIS: Hawai’i is the show’s ability to bring the franchise together. We have had so much fun spreading the aloha to NCIS and NCIS: LA with the triple crossover. Now, we have the amazing opportunity to bring Sam Hanna to Hawai’i to help the island solve some cases and maybe have a few laughs in the process. Welcome to the ohana, Todd! It’s going to be a fun ride.”

Read on for everything there is to know about Sam Hanna’s return to NCIS: Hawai’i.

Is Sam Hanna joining NCIS Hawai’i for good?

Is Sam Hanna joining NCIS Hawai’i for good? While the fan-favorite special agent will be back on our screens this season, it might not be permanent. In May 2023, ahead of the Season 2 finale of NCIS: Hawai’i, LL Cool J announced on Twitter that he is going to be reprising his role as Sam Hanna in a limited capacity during Season 3. “Couldn’t keep Sam Hanna off the case for too long!!” he wrote alongside a picture of him and Lachey on set. He continued, “Starting tonight, Sam Hanna will join forces with the @NCISHawaiiCBS team as a recurring guest star in the upcoming third season. Tune in the season 2 finale of @NCISHawaiiCBS on @CBS at 10 ET/PT or on @paramountplus for live streaming and on demand.”

The rapper, who starred as Hanna for all 14 seasons of NCIS: Los Angeles, may not be joining the cast of NCIS: Hawai’i as a series regular just yet, but he will have an important role this season. Following the traumatic events of the Season 2 finale, Hanna will stick around in Hawaii to keep an eye out on Tennant and make sure she’s mentally and emotionally stable enough to return to work.

“I think that that’s important, because somebody just sitting behind a desk may not necessarily understand what it’s like being in the field and going through some of the traumatic things that these agents go through, but Sam can relate to that, right?” LL Cool J told Parade during a February 2024 interview. “Plus, there are other dynamics at play and other reasons why Sam is in town,” he teased.

Hanna will also help the squad out with an action-packed case. According to the premiere episode’s logline, the NCIS team discovers a breach in the U.S. Marshal’s database and Hanna helps Tennant locate the hacker.

While speaking to Parade, LL Cool J revealed why he wasn’t ready to retire as Hanna. “I just wanted to have fun. I enjoyed playing the character, I’ve been playing it a long time. When I got the invite, I contemplated and thought about it and I said, ‘You know what, it’ll be a lot of fun.’ So why not just have some fun?” he told the outlet, adding: “Plus, when we did the crossover, the chemistry and the energy was great, and I respond to that. It just wasn’t random; it was a real good experience for me being here and that made it attractive to me.”

As for how the show will explain Hanna’s move to Hawaii and his absence in Los Angeles, he hinted: “Well, there’s always an explanation for everything, right?” It’s unclear how many episodes LL Cool J will appear in or if he will eventually join the show full time, but fans are hoping he stays on for good.

Season 3 of NCIS: Hawai’i airs on CBS on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT and streams on Paramount+ the next day.

For more on NCIS, check out this gallery to see who the franchise stars are dating and married to in real life. 

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