‘NCIS’: LL COOL J’s Sam Returns to Help When Team Member Framed for Murder — See Photos

LL COOL J is back for two episodes of NCIS ahead of his new spinoff, NCIS: New York, with Scott Caan premiering in the fall of 2026, and it sounds like he’s showing up just when the team is going to need some additional help.

In his first guest spot, in the Tuesday, April 21, episode, titled “Reboot,” CBS teases, “With most of NCIS away and the mainframe shut down for a midnight upgrade, Kasie [Diona Reasonover] and a skeleton crew are left in a darkened building when someone begins hunting from inside. What starts as a routine reboot becomes a high-stakes game of cat and mouse through powerless hallways until an unexpected ally, Sam Hanna, steps into the fight.” The preview for this episode shows the team surprised to stumble upon Sam during a blackout.

Then, in the Tuesday, April 28, episode, “Bad Impressions,” the description reads, “The team races to help one of their own who has been framed for murder and caught in a widening conspiracy that could compromise national security.”

NCIS stars teased these two episodes for TV Insider on Wednesday, April 15, at CBS Fest, celebrating the network’s 2026-2027 lineup.

“Jimmy and Sam get stuck in an elevator together, and we got to figure our way out of that,” Brian Dietzen told us. “And Sam is a guy with some words of wisdom, so he’s really helping Jimmy through some stuff. Jimmy’s had a tough couple of years. It’s a really fun, fun special episode.”

Added Reasonover, “There’s also a Sam and Kasie special little storyline. That’s very cool because for me, I was so nervous to film, and it’s one of the few times I actually got nervous. But I mean, Todd is just the best. LL COOL J is so nice.”

Scroll down to check out photos from both episodes. Then head to the comments section and let us know who you think will be framed for murder.

NCIS, Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS