What To Know

LL Cool J returns as Sam Hanna in NCIS Season 23, Episode 17,
The episode, titled “Reboot,” features a crisis at HQ.

Sam Hanna, what’s happened?! That’s the question we have after the NCIS preview released for the Tuesday, April 21, episode, featuring LL Cool J‘s return. He previously starred as Sam Hanna on NCIS: Los Angeles, then was a special guest star in NCIS: Hawai’i‘s final season, and he guest-starred on the mothership last season in an episode.

Now, in Season 23 Episode 17, titled “Reboot,” the power goes out at NCIS and it appears there’s a killer in the building with the team. Then, Parker (Gary Cole) and Palmer (Brian Dietzen) find Sam, who’s looking the worse for wear. “I guess I should’ve called, huh,” he says. But it looks like he will jump in to help. Watch it above.

It seems likely that LL Cool J is the star that executive producer Steven D. Binder was talking about when he told TV Insider after the fall finale, which featured Emily Wickersham‘s return as Ellie Bishop, “We do have another character, a larger character — somewhere between a guest star from an episode and Bishop — who will be making an appearance towards the second half of the season. So we’re looking forward to that. Also, a two-parter, so that will be fun.”

After that, Brian Dietzen, while discussing the new podcast, NCIS: Partners & Probies, which he hosts with his costar Diona Reasonover, told us, Episodes 17 and 18 are “pretty special. One of the episodes does focus a lot on where Jimmy is in his personal life and where he’s giving himself new challenges. And then the next episode focuses quite a bit on Diona, Kasie’s character. But some really wonderful things.”

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When LL Cool J last appeared on NCIS, he had no longer been with the agency and instead was working in D.C. on the Hill. However, by the end of the episode, he’d quit his new job. “Seeing your team, working shoulder to shoulder with them, reminded me how much I missed it,” he explained to Vance (Rocky Carroll). The director told him, “There’s always a place for you back at NCIS.” Sam told him he just had some things to take care of first, and yes, it had to do with Hetty, though he told Vance that it was better he didn’t know. Sam told McGee (Sean Murray), “See you around,” when he left, setting up another guest spot, so it’s not too surprising we’re going to see him again. Let’s just hope he brings more LA character updates.