Who’s Coming Back to NCIS in 2025 & Which Character Is Returning?

• LL Cool J is returning to NCIS on April 21, 2025, reprising his iconic role as Special Agent Sam Hanna from NCIS: Los Angeles

• The entire NCIS Season 23 ensemble is expected to return in fall 2025, with key players like Wilmer Valderrama, Sean Murray, Brian Dietzen, Katrina Law, Gary Cole, and Diona Reasonover all confirmed

• Plus, Mark Harmon remains narrating and executive producing NCIS: Origins, and the franchise’s spin-offs continue expanding

🔄 LL Cool J Is Back as Sam Hanna

In a surprising crossover move, LL Cool J returns as Sam Hanna in NCIS Season 22, specifically in Episode 18, airing on April 21, 2025 EW.com+10Tin Tức Quốc Tế+10Geeks Around Globe+10ComingSoon.net+6People.com+6Curious World+6Cinemablend+6Wikipedia+6Reddit+6IMDb.
This guest appearance reconnects the retired* NCIS: Los Angeles legend with the parent series in a story that could shed light on what happened to the Hawai‘i field office and its former team Tin Tức Quốc Tế+1IMDb+1.

🎭 Season 22 Cast: Who’s Returning?

Season 22, which ran from October 14, 2024, to May 5, 2025, had 20 episodes and star-filled cast Wikipedia. Despite the big shakeup with Jessica Knight’s potential job move, all core cast members remained on the show:

• Alden Parker (Gary Cole)

• Tim McGee (Sean Murray)

• Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama)

• Jessica Knight (Katrina Law)

• Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen)

• Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover)

• Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll)

Wilmer Valderrama explicitly confirmed his return as Torres and teased emotionally packed character arcs in Season 22, including undercover missions and personal stakes for Team MCRT Geeks Around Globe+9ComingSoon.net+9TechRadar247+9Reddit+8Curious World+8TechRadar247+8Screen Rant+8Wikipedia+8Curious World+8Wikipedia+3TechRadar247+3Curious World+3.

🔮 What Lies Ahead in Season 23

CBS confirmed renewal for Season 23 as of February 2025—all core cast are expected to return, though one character may depart due to storyline fallout in the Season 22 finale Wikipedia+2SoapCentral+2Curious World+2.
NCIS Season 23, along with NCIS: Origins Season 2 and NCIS: Sydney Season 3, will shift to Tuesday nights, premiering on October 14, 2025 ParadeGood Housekeeping.

🌟 Returning Faces Expected in Season 23:

• Sean Murray as McGee

• Wilmer Valderrama as Torres

• Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, Katrina Law, Gary Cole
  All are anticipated to carry over into the next season—barring major plot twists from Season 22’s endingEW.com+15Parade+15ComingSoon.net+15.

🧾 Summary Table

🔍 Why This Matters

• LL Cool J’s cameo reconnects NCIS: Los Angeles to the flagship show, closing story arcs from Hawai‘i and offering nostalgic vibes for longtime fans Wikipedia+5Tin Tức Quốc Tế+5Reddit+5ComingSoon.net+1Monsters and Critics+1TechRadar247+3Curious World+3Monsters and Critics+3Curious World+4Parade+4Monsters and Critics+4People.com+2TechRadar247+2Curious World+2

• Season 23 marks CBS’s renewed faith in the NCIS universe, expanding its Tuesday night franchise block across multiple shows Geeks Around Globe+3Good Housekeeping+3Cinemablend+3

✅ Final Thoughts

Expect to see fan favorites like Torres, McGee, Knight, Palmer, and Parker continuing in Season 23, with LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna making a special return in late April as a highlight cameo. And while Mark Harmon doesn’t return in the flagship, he remains a guiding presence in the franchise through NCIS: Origins EW.com.

If you love character-driven drama mixed with procedural stakes—season 23 promises more emotional beats, team dynamics, and franchise continuity than ever before.