Is LL Cool J Moving to 'NCIS: Hawai'i' Permanently? Actor Says He's in "Recurring Guest Role"
"Couldn’t keep Sam Hanna off the case for too long!!"
Published Feb. 13 2024, 6:51 p.m. ET
LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell have had a long working relationship on NCIS: Los Angeles over the span of 14 different seasons. The two have headlined the program for quite some time. The show's format seems to resonate with a lot of viewers — the journeys of different teams in different parts of the country are par the course for the brand.
The recent Season 3 opener of NCIS: Hawai'i, however, has fans wondering if Big L is headed to the island for good.
Is LL Cool J moving to 'NCIS: Hawai'i' and becoming an island boy?
If LL Cool J is looking to stay in the NCIS business, then this could very well be the case — it's not like there's going to be any pushback from NCIS: Los Angeles fanbase or the series' crew/showrunners since it has officially ended after a massive run.
So how did LL's character, former Navy SEAL and NCIS Senior Special Agent Sam Hanna, get to working with the NCIS: Hawai'i team in Season 3?
It all starts when, in the Season 3 premiere, Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey, series lead) is set to be given her final interview that allows her to get back into the field.
The person interviewing her is none other than Hanna, who hopped on the six-hour flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii in order to collaborate with the team down there.
He helps the NCIS: Hawai'i team after they discover someone's hacked into the U.S. Marshals database, potentially compromising the security and identity of officers assigned to flights all over the world.
This isn't the first time that Hanna's character has been featured on NCIS: Hawai'i, however; he was on the show's Season 2 finale where he helped Tennant's team out while they were in Venezuela.
According to Soaps, LL Cool J will be a part of NCIS: Hawai'i for the duration of the show's third season, and it was producers for the show who said as much back in May 2023 after NCIS: Los Angeles ended.
Christopher Silber, Jan Nash, and Matt Beseck, Hawai'i's EP's said in a statement: "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."
The statement continued: "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."
Is LL Cool J's move to 'NCIS: Hawai'i' a permanent one, however?
He's definitely going to be featured throughout Season 3, and the actor himself tweeted a photo in May 2023 that he took on set with Vanessa Lachey, writing that he joined the cast as a recurring guest star.
"Couldn’t keep Sam Hanna off the case for too long!! 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," he tweeted at the time.
