Sam Hanna Story Update Supports NCIS Spinoff's "Darker" Show Promise

After spending fourteen seasons on NCIS: Los Angeles, LL Cool J returning to the beloved Sam Hanna with the new NCIS: New York this fall will bring a whole different version of the character to life. As one of the franchise’s most dependable heroes, Sam has long been a character who has a strong moral center. The emotional anchor of NCIS: Los Angeles, Sam’s relationship with his long-term partner Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and the rest of his team was a foundational part of the franchise, allowing for an interesting mix of dynamics that was built on deeply trusting one another.

Sam generally approached cases with a level-headed perspective on NCIS: Los Angeles, making him one of the most stable characters in the wider franchise. Even through personal tragedy, including the death of his wife Michelle, Sam was able to remain focused on helping others in his work. While Sam has appeared in the franchise since Los Angeles’ end, his time on NCIS: Hawai’i was short-lived, and his return in NCIS: New York will be the first time that viewers are able to dive back into the character in full for quite some time, with a darker tone on the table.

With some details about what’s to come from NCIS: New York out in the open ahead of its fall 2026 debut, Sam’s journey appears to be a far darker one than viewers likely anticipated. With the series bringing a grittier tone to the franchise, NCIS: New York will change Sam.

NCIS: New York’s Sam Hanna Storyline Already Gives The Spinoff A “Darker” Tone

Although the details of what’s to come on NCIS: New York may not be entirely clear, there’s quite a bit of information about what to expect from the series when it comes to CBS this fall. Sam’s move back to New York will be tied directly to the death of a close friend, and the darker tone of what’s to come on screen is going to shake things up. NCIS: New York will feel significantly different than the other shows in the long-running franchise according to NCIS franchise director Dennis Smith on the show’s official podcast, NCIS: Partners & Probies.

When asked about what to expect from the new series in the franchise, Smith explained that NCIS: New York is going to be an edgier project than the other shows under the NCIS umbrella. “I think it’s going to be a much darker, edgier show,” Smith shared, and offered that original NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner R. Scott Gemmill, who has since gone on to co-create HBO Max’s hit The Pitt, always wanted to go darker with the Sam Hanna character. With Sam returning to his native New York on the heels of a tragedy, things are bound to be dark.

NCIS: New York Needs To Stand Out In The Franchise To Succeed

Still of Scott Caan as Nick Schaeffer and LL COOL J as Sam Hanna in NCIS: New York season 1. — NCIS New York still

Although NCIS has always had dark stories as a part of the lore, the fact that the upcoming NCIS: New York is being billed as a darker series than the rest of the franchise’s shows is a good thing. While many of the NCIS spinoffs have always had their own tone, they’ve always felt like they’re cut from the same cloth. The traditional procedural tones of the shows have allowed NCIS to maintain a brand identity, but the fact that the universe feels so similar from property to property is often what makes them easier to fade into each other.

The darker tone and the difficult Sam Hanna storyline coming to NCIS: New York will help the series to stand out among the rest of the shows in the franchise, bringing its own tone and elements to the table. Rather than introducing a new city and inserting familiar NCIS-esque procedural elements into the series, NCIS: New York will be dealing with an undercurrent of darkness immediately. With grief and loss at the core of Sam’s story, it’s clear that the new series is looking to establish itself as something different to stand out against the rest of the NCIS crowd.