Sam Hanna is swapping the West Coast for the East Coast, and UK viewers will soon be able to follow him! ‘NCIS: New York‘, the latest addition to CBS’s seemingly unstoppable crime drama franchise, is heading to Paramount+ UK this November, with LL COOL J returning as the fan-favourite agent alongside Scott Caan.
The new series sees Special Agent Sam Hanna return to his hometown of New York City after years of dangerous assignments, covert operations, and generally making life very unpleasant for criminals in Los Angeles. However, this isn’t simply a change of scenery. Sam finds himself working with an entirely new team, tackling cases involving the US Navy, national security, and one of the world’s busiest ports.
Of course, fans will know Sam from ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’, where LL COOL J played the former Navy SEAL turned NCIS agent for all 14 seasons. Following that show’s conclusion in 2023, he also popped up in ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’, meaning the character has been keeping himself rather busy since leaving California.
Now he’s back on familiar ground, although New York has changed considerably since he last called it home.
The series kicks off with a particularly personal investigation. When Sam’s friend, Navy reservist Jack Halloway, is found dead, he requests permission to investigate the case from Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robyn Wells. She agrees, but pairs him with Nick Schaeffer, a roguish fellow New Yorker whose approach to police work doesn’t necessarily match Sam’s more disciplined style.
Nick is played by Scott Caan (‘Hawaii Five-0’), who is no stranger to solving crimes in a major CBS procedural. He previously spent ten seasons playing Detective Danny Williams opposite Alex O’Loughlin (‘Moonlight’) in the Hawaii-set drama.
The combination of Hanna’s military precision and Schaeffer’s more unpredictable methods should make for an entertaining partnership, particularly as both men are used to doing things their own way.
Meet the New York Team
Joining the two leads is Jennifer Beals (‘The L Word’), who plays Robyn Wells, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge overseeing the New York field office. She’s a respected leader who trusts her instincts and is tasked with keeping this new collection of personalities working together.
Jacqueline Byers (‘Dark Winds’) plays Special Agent Addison “Addy” Ross, a tough, resourceful investigator with something to prove, while Shane Harper (‘Power Book IV: Force’) portrays Special Agent Wyatt Sellers, a sharp and highly capable agent in the field.
Rounding out the main team is Devin Druid (’13 Reasons Why’) as Sean Sullivan, a brilliant, authority-resistant tech specialist with a background in hacking. Because apparently, no NCIS office is complete without someone who can make computers do things the rest of us can barely pronounce.
Unlike some television productions which use one city to double for another, ‘NCIS: New York’ is actually filmed on location in New York, giving the series a rather different backdrop from its Los Angeles predecessor.
Speaking about the setting, LL COOL J said: “New York is a character. It gives you so many different people from all over the world, so many different types of energies,”
The actor, who was born and raised in New York, has also spoken about rediscovering parts of his hometown while filming the series, something reflected in Sam’s own return to the city.
Familiar Faces Behind The Scenes
There’s also some reassuring continuity behind the camera. The series was developed by R. Scott Gemmill, who previously served as showrunner and executive producer on ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’, alongside Byron Balasco (Kingdom), who takes on showrunning duties for the New York spin-off.
Both serve as executive producers, alongside Adam Davidson, Kyle Harimoto, Joseph C. Wilson, Jason Barrett and LL COOL J himself. The series is produced by CBS Studios.
The show launched in the US on CBS in October, forming part of the network’s Tuesday night NCIS line-up alongside the original ‘NCIS’ and prequel series ‘NCIS: Origins’.
For UK audiences, the arrival of ‘NCIS: New York’ gives fans another opportunity to explore the expanding franchise, with a familiar lead providing a link to the earlier shows. And if you haven’t followed Sam Hanna’s previous adventures, the new location and supporting cast should make this a reasonably accessible starting point.
After Los Angeles, New Orleans, Hawai’i, Sydney, and now New York, CBS is certainly getting plenty of mileage out of those four letters. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before somebody pitches ‘NCIS: Birmingham’. We’d watch it.
‘NCIS: New York‘ Season 1 premieres Wednesday, 4th November 2026 on Paramount+ UK.
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