Almost 16 years after his debut in NCIS Season 6, Episode 22, LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna returned in Season 22, Episode 18, and it wasn’t part of a crossover. NCIS Season 6 Episodes 22 and 23 served as a two-part backdoor pilot for what would become NCIS: Los Angeles, starring LL Cool J, Chris O’Donnell, and Daniela Ruah. The first NCIS spinoff (though technically, NCIS was also a spinoff) ran for 14 seasons before being canceled. Besides its setting, what differentiated NCIS: LA from its flagship show was how it followed the NCIS Office of Special Projects (OSP) — an elite team with cutting-edge technology who were skilled at undercover assignments.
Let’s be real—Sam Hanna’s appearance in NCIS Season 22 wasn’t just a cameo, it was a game-changer. The beloved character, originally from NCIS: Los Angeles, brought a new level of grit, leadership, and charisma to the flagship series. And fans? Yeah, they’re obsessed. Now the big question is: Why isn’t Sam Hanna a full-time cast member yet? In this deep-dive, we’re unpacking all the reasons why Sam Hanna deserves to be a permanent fixture in the NCIS universe—and how it could revitalize the show like never before.
Although that series reached its conclusion, the finale teased that Sam would be joining NCIS: Hawai’i in Season 3. He moved to Hawai’i to lead the NCIS Elite team for classified missions. But in the two-part Season 3 finale, the team was ambushed and murdered by a terrorist group, leaving Sam as one of the only survivors. There wasn’t much time to see how Sam dealt with the loss of his team as NCIS: Hawai’i was canceled after Season 3. Thankfully, Sam’s story didn’t end there. When audiences see Sam in NCIS Season 22, Episode 18, it’s revealed he took a leave of absence from the agency to process the death of his NCIS Elite Team and needed a change of pace.
He pivoted to working on Capitol Hill to get congressional support for various military actions globally. Although he’s happy in his new job, when the D.C. NCIS team needs his help on a case, he’s ready to jump back into the action. At the end of the episode, Sam is reminded of the rush of being a field agent and tells NCIS Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) that he’s quitting his Capitol Hill job. Vance tells Sam that the door is always open for him to return (almost like a meta line from the writers to LL Cool J). But before he officially returns to NCIS, he has to take care of a few things first. As he leaves, he tells Tim McGee (Sean Murray), “Definitely see you around.” Hopefully, this is more than just a passing line, and Sam will officially join NCIS.
