‘NCIS: New York’ Trailer Brings LL COOL J’s Sam Hanna Home With a Brand-New Team

CBS is giving fans their best look yet at NCIS: New York, and Sam Hanna is officially back in action.

The network released the full series-premiere trailer for its newest NCIS spinoff on Tuesday, September 15, bringing LL COOL J back as the character he played for 14 seasons on NCIS: Los Angeles. This time, Sam is trading the West Coast for his hometown of New York City, where a new case puts him alongside a completely new team.

Sam Hanna Is Back Home

After years of special assignments and covert operations, Sam returns to New York when his friend and Navy reservist Jack Halloway is found dead. Sam asks to investigate the case and is paired with NCIS Special Agent Nick Schaeffer, played by Hawaii Five-0 alum Scott Caan.

The new trailer gives viewers a much stronger sense of the dynamic between Sam and Nick than the initial teaser released in August. Sam remains the seasoned agent longtime NCIS viewers know, while Nick brings a looser, more roguish energy to their partnership, setting up the kind of personality clash that has long been a staple of the franchise.

The investigation into Jack’s death also provides a personal reason for Sam to become involved with the New York office rather than simply dropping him into another assignment. It gives the new series an immediate connection to Sam while introducing the people who will surround him moving forward.

Meet the New NCIS: New York Team

Jennifer Beals stars as Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robyn Wells, who pairs Sam with Nick as the investigation gets underway. Jacqueline Byers plays Special Agent Addison “Addy” Ross, Shane Harper stars as Special Agent Wyatt Sellers, and Devin Druid rounds out the team as hacker-turned-tech specialist Sean Sullivan.

While LL COOL J gives the spinoff an immediate connection to NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS is clearly building NCIS: New York around an ensemble rather than making it simply another Sam Hanna series. The trailer spends plenty of time establishing the new agents, their personalities and the chemistry that could ultimately determine whether this latest branch of the franchise develops an identity of its own.

New York itself is also part of the equation. The series is filmed on location in the city, with the team responsible for handling naval and national-security cases involving one of the world's most important cities and ports.

A New Chapter for the NCIS Universe

Sam Hanna first entered the franchise on NCIS: Los Angeles in 2009 and remained one of its central characters through the show's conclusion in 2023. LL COOL J subsequently brought Sam to NCIS: Hawaiʻi, but NCIS: New York marks the character's return as a regular lead within the franchise.

Behind the scenes, there is another connection to NCIS: Los Angeles. R. Scott Gemmill, who previously served as showrunner and executive producer on the Los Angeles series, created NCIS: New York alongside Byron Balasco. Balasco serves as showrunner, while Gemmill, Balasco, LL COOL J, Jason Barrett and others serve as executive producers.

The series also puts two familiar CBS procedural veterans at its center. Alongside LL COOL J's long history with NCIS, Caan spent a decade playing Danny Williams on Hawaii Five-0, giving the new partnership a pair of actors who are no strangers to long-running action procedurals.

When Does NCIS: New York Premiere?

NCIS: New York premieres Tuesday, October 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, sandwiched between the Season 24 premiere of NCIS at 8 p.m. and the Season 3 premiere of NCIS: Origins at 10 p.m.

The series will also stream on Paramount+. Paramount+ Premium subscribers can watch live through their local CBS affiliate where available and on demand, while Essential subscribers will have access to episodes on demand the following day.

With Sam Hanna returning, a completely new team surrounding him and New York City providing a fresh setting for the franchise, the latest trailer finally gives viewers a clearer picture of what separates NCIS: New York from the shows that came before it. Now the real test begins October 6, when Sam and his new partners officially report for duty.