Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS episode “After the Storm” are ahead!
Welcome back, Sam Hanna! Following the cancellation of NCIS: Hawai’i last year after just three seasons, which came one year after NCIS: Los Angeles concluded its 14-season run, LL Cool J returned to the procedural franchise to reprise his role on the flagship show. That episode, titled “After the Storm,” just finished airing on the 2025 TV schedule, and while Sam Hanna helped out the NCIS team for this week’s case, he also shared some updates on a few of his Los Angeles and Hawai’i cohorts. While that was certainly welcome, what really got my attention was the big shakeup thrown in at the end concerning the Deputy Director LaRoche storyline.