LL Cool J said goodbye to hit spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles after 14 seasons last Sunday night, but fans won’t have long to wait until he’s back on screens.
NCIS: Los Angeles star LL Cool J has confirmed he’ll be joining the cast of the new spin-off, NCIS: Hawaii, for its third season.
CBS’s latest NCIS offshoot stars Vanessa Lachey as Jane Tennant, who leads a formidable team of special agents through the toughest cases to hit the North Pacific island.
Her team will now be joined by LL’s Agent Sam Hanna, who will take on a recurring guest star role in the next outing.
The actor and hip-hop star celebrated the news with a sweet snap of himself and Lachey hanging out on the NCIS set.
He captioned the post: “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.”
It’s unknown when the next season of NCIS: Hawaii will air as most primetime network shows will be affected by the ongoing writers’ strike.
Nevertheless, LL’s fans and co-stars were ecstatic to hear the news and joined in with the celebrations on Monday night.
Lachey posted the announcement to her Instagram Story and exclaimed: “So excited!”
And his NCIS: LA co-star Daniela Ruah posted flame and heart emojis, writing: “Cruuuuush it.”
NCIS fan @deniseeffing replied: “BEST NEWS EVERRR!!! I WAS GONNA MISS SAM/LL SO MUCH!!”
And @jolene_merrigan said: “Glad we haven’t seen the last of Sam.” (sic)
In a statement, executive producers Matt Bosack, Jan Nash and Christopher Silber said: “All of us at NCIS: Hawaii 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.”
And Lachey added: “One of the most beautiful things about working on NCIS: Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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!”
As one of the most popular characters in the NCIS universe, LL’s guest appearances could eventually lead to a spot on the main cast now his stint in LA has come to an end.
