NCIS: New York Star LL Cool J's Hit '90s Sitcom Is Streaming For Free

LL Cool J is reprising the role of Special Agent Sam Hanna for the spin-off "NCIS: New York," a part he first played back in 2009. While he was better known for his big screen roles when he debuted as Hanna in the "NCIS" episode "Legend: Part 1" (the first half of a two-parter that served as a backdoor pilot for "NCIS: Los Angeles"), he actually already had several TV credits on his resume, most notably the '90s sitcom "In The House," which is now streaming for free on Roku.

"In The House" premiered on NBC in 1995. LL Cool J, whose real name is James Todd Smith, stars as Marion Hill, a football player who is experiencing some financial difficulties. The former Los Angeles Raiders running back was forced to retire early due to an injury, and to make ends meet he rents out a large chunk of his house to a newly-divorced single mother (played by future "Grey's Anatomy" star Debbie Allen) and her two children.

The chance to work with both Debbie Allen and Quincy Jones (who was a producer as well as a composer on the sitcom) is what initially drew LL Cool to the project. He was fully on board once he realized that the predominantly Black characters of "In The House" were three dimensional and well written. "I wouldn't want to be involved with a show that was stereotypical or put negative influences into the minds of young people, because that's not what I'm all about," he told Jet magazine at the time.

LL Cool J was still known primarily as a rapper when he did "In The House." Because of the family friendly nature of the show, there was talk at the time that it would negatively impact his music career, but he dismissed that idea during an on-set interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1996. "A person who just listens to rap records might think, 'Oh, LL's doing a TV show, and he's going to lose his street credibility,'" he said. "But a person who is part of the hip-hop culture would say, 'Oh LL's hustling; he's expanding; he's moving on even more, and that's good.' It's the difference between a critic listening to a rap record and understanding and living hip-hop culture." He would ultimately be nominated for three NAACP Image Awards over the course of the show's run.

"In The House" was canceled by NBC due to low ratings after two seasons, but that wasn't the end: It took only a few days for UPN to snatch up the show. It ran for an additional two seasons on UPN, and a shorter fifth season aired in syndication. Debbie Allen left the cast after NBC pulled the plug, but some new stars were added to the roster when UPN revived the show, including "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star Alfonso Ribeiro, who now hosts "Dancing with the Stars." As for LL Cool J, he went on to establish himself in Hollywood with movies like "Deep Blue Sea," "In Too Deep," and "Any Given Sunday" before becoming a big TV star thanks to his "NCIS" role. "NCIS: New York" is currently airing its first season on CBS.