NCIS' Returning Character Revealed! LL COOL J To Guest-Star In Season 22

The NCIS-verse just can't quit LL COOL J.

CBS revealed on Thursday that the NCIS: Los Angeles vet will reprise his Sam Hanna role in the mothership series' April 21 outing. TVLine has confirmed that will be Episode 18 of NCIS' current 22nd season, presumably making LL COOL J the "someone from NCIS' past" that cast member Brian Dietzen previously teased as an upcoming guest star.

"Back on set, baby! NCIS. Let's get it," he announced in the below Instagram video:

LL COOL J starred as Sam Hanna in all 14 seasons of NCIS: Los Angeles, which ended in May 2023. He later brought the character to the now-cancelled NCIS: Hawai'i for its entire third season; the reason for Sam's presence in Hawai'i was a mystery for several episodes, until he revealed to Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) that he was there to train a new action team called NCIS Elite. And in what would be that spinoff's series finale, Sam's work was done and he returned to the mainland, after a festive goodbye party was thrown in his honor.

"The idea of Sam joining our show was pitched by the studio/network after LA ended," NCIS: Hawai'i's co-showrunners told TVLine exclusively in July 2024. "We were fully on-board, both because Sam was a great character, but also because LL COOL J is a wonderful human. The chemistry he shared with our amazing lead, Vanessa Lachey, was so compelling, we had hoped to keep it going for many seasons to come."

Sam has previously popped up on NCIS, too, in Season 6 and Season 20.

NCIS resumes Season 22 on Monday, March 24, with Episode 15. The long-running series has already been renewed for Season 23, along with NCIS: Origins (for Season 2) and NCIS: Sydney (Season 3).

Looking forward to seeing Sam Hanna again? Drop a comment below with your thoughts.