NCIS is bringing back this beloved character (for the second year in a row)

NCIS has, counterintuitively, continued to thrive by looking backward. The show may have hit a bit of a speedbump with NCIS: Hawai'i, but the success of its prequel series, NCIS: Origins, confirms that it has a fanbase who wants to see established characters get more screen time.

This is why NCIS' recent casting news makes so much sense. TV Line confirmed that LL Cool J will be returning to the fold as Agent Sam Hanna in an upcoming episode of the flagship show. Agent Hanna will be appearing episode 18, marking the second time he will appear following the cancelation of the show he spawned from, NCIS: Los Angeles.

Sam Hanna will return to NCIS in 2025

“Too Many Cooks” – NCIS agents from Washington, D.C., L.A. and Hawai’i, all in D.C. to attend the retirement party of a beloved Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) professor, find themselves investigating his shocking suicide, on the CBS Original series NCIS, Monday, Jan. 9 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*. For the first time, NCIS, NCIS: HAWAI’I and NCIS: LOS ANGELES unite for a special three-hour NCIS

We had a sneaking suspicion Hanna would be the familiar face that NCIS star Brian Dietzen previously teased during a TV Line interview. The actor made it clear that fans would be treated to a reunion with a beloved character, though he refused to name who.

"I just worked with one, and I’m not allowed to tell you, but I’ll tell you it’s someone from NCIS‘s past, and it’s going to be fantastic," Dietzen stated at the beginning of March. "And I think people are really going to lose their sh*t." He was right in the sense that it will be exciting to see Hanna back in action. Less so, however, when it comes to the element of surprise.

Sam Hanna already made a shocking return to the NCIS franchise in 2024. He was brought into the fold with NCIS: Hawai'i during its third and final season. CBS was clearly trying to pull out different stops in an effort to boost interest in the spinoff, and they thought Hanna would help out.

LL Cool J is eager to rejoin the franchise

“Run and Gun” – After passing her medical and psych evaluations, Tennant is surprised to see Sam Hanna conducting her final interview to clear her return to work. Also, when the team discovers a breach in the U.S. Marshal’s database, Sam joins Tennant in Las Vegas to locate the hacker, on part one of the season three premiere of the CBS Original series NCIS: HAWAI’I, Monday, Feb. 12 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for

LL Cool J was ecstatic to continue Hanna's arc on Hawai'i, even if it turned out to be a shorter tenure than he expected. He has been complimentary of the franchise as a whole, however, and made it very clear to People Magazine that he enjoys playing a role in it regardless of which show he happens to be on.

"I'm so glad that I'm able to be part of something so special and unique in history, one of the longest running franchises in television history," the veteran actor said. "It feels amazing. So I look forward to seeing how people respond when they finally get a chance to see what we do this year, or with this episode."

Sam Hanna's return to NCIS will likely be brief, but we would be lying if we didn't say we were intrigued to see how he will factor into the overall story.