CBS has released the full trailer for “NCIS: New York,” the franchise’s newest spinoff, bringing LL Cool J back as Special Agent Sam Hanna in a series set to premiere Tuesday, October 6.
The trailer introduces Sam’s new partner, Nick Schaeffer, a wisecracking agent played by “Hawaii Five-0” alum Scott Caan, whose banter with Hanna sets the tone for the series from its opening moments. Sam, who spent years working solo missions across the globe after his run on “NCIS: Los Angeles,” returns to his hometown to join the New York field office, led by Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robyn Wells, played by Jennifer Beals.
The pilot centers on Sam investigating the death of his friend and Navy reservist Jack Halloway, a case that pulls him and Schaeffer into the rest of the team: agents Addy Ross and Wyatt Sellers, played by Jacqueline Byers and Shane Harper, along with tech specialist Sean Sullivan, played by Devin Druid.
LL Cool J has described the New York setting as a shift from the franchise’s earlier chapters, calling the new series grittier and more character-driven, with the city itself functioning almost as a character in its own right. He has said the show will take viewers through parts of New York even he, as a native of Queens, has rarely seen on screen, and has framed Sam’s return as a story about a man seeking redemption after years of high-stakes work in law enforcement.
Showrunner Byron Balasco has said Sam arrives in New York as something close to a lone wolf, having spent recent years on solo missions in dangerous corners of the world, including a stint in Dubai referenced during a crossover with the original “NCIS” last season. R. Scott Gemmill, who previously ran “NCIS: Los Angeles” and now serves as an executive producer here, brings franchise continuity to a project arriving as the first new “NCIS” spinoff since “NCIS: Tony & Ziva” was canceled.
“NCIS: New York” will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBS, slotted between the original “NCIS” at 8 p.m. and prequel series “NCIS: Origins” at 10 p.m., giving the franchise a three-hour block as part of the network’s fall premiere lineup.
