NCIS: Hawai’i season 3 reveals new details about Sam Hanna’s return, following confirmation that the character would appear in future episodes.
NCIS: Hawai’i season 3 reveals new details about Sam Hanna’s (LL Cool J) return. The series premiered on CBS in 2021, and follows members of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service operating out of Pearl Harbor. The cast of NCIS: Hawai’i includes Vanessa Lachey, Alex Tarrant, Noah Mills, Jason Antoon, Yasmine Al-Bustami, Enver Gjokaj, and Tori Anderson. Cool J previously starred in the long-running NCIS spinoff Los Angeles, where he portrayed Hanna, an agent for the Office of Special Projects. After taking part in the crossover event, and briefly appearing in the NCIS: Hawai’i season 2 finale, it was confirmed back in May that Cool J would reprise his NCIS role for upcoming episodes.
Ahead of NCIS: Hawai’i season 3, scheduled to debut on February 12, 2024, CBS is revealing the summary of its first episode, which offers more details about Hanna’s return. According to TV Line, the premiere, titled “Run and Gun,” will bring Hanna and Jane Tennant (Lachey) back together, and Cool J’s character will determine her ability to rejoin the team, following the events of season 2’s finale. Read the official synopsis below:
“‘Run and Gun’ (Part 1) – After passing her medical and psych evaluations, Tennant is surprised to see Sam Hanna (NCIS’ Los Angeles’ LL Cool J) conducting her final interview to clear her return to work. Also, when the team discovers a breach in the U.S. Marshal’s database, Sam joins Tennant in Las Vegas to locate the hacker.”
Why Sam Hanna’s Return In NCIS: Hawaii Season 3 Works
Hanna appeared alongside Tennant and other characters from the NCIS franchise before, investigating the conspiracy surrounding Simon Williams in a crossover event that occurred during the final season of NCIS: Los Angeles. As mentioned, Cool J’s character also appeared in the NCIS: Hawai’i season 2 finale, offering to help Tennant before she eventually departed for Venezuela. The latest details regarding his return to the series suggest that Hanna wasn’t contacted by Tennant, but audiences will likely enjoy seeing the two agents reunite.
Because Hanna is featured on the NCIS: Hawai’i season 3 poster, and was already revealed to be a recurring character, it’s worth wondering how his presence will impact Tennant’s team moving forward. Not much else is known about Cool J’s role in the upcoming season, or his character’s future beyond that. His return to NCIS: Hawai’i makes sense, though, given the last interaction with Tennant, and serves as a connection to NCIS: Los Angeles, which ended in May.
While characters have returned to the NCIS franchise before, it will be interesting to see how audiences respond to Hanna’s run on NCIS: Hawai’i, and to learn even more about this particular team-up between him and Tennant. Those eager to see Cool J reprise his role, outside of Los Angeles, can be sure to tune in for the NCIS: Hawai’i season 3 premiere.