The NCIS franchise has been a staple of CBS’s programming for multiple seasons, but its newest edition will make history by having two rappers as its lead stars – LL Cool J and Scott Caan, who both have experience as lead actors for series on the network.
The premise for NCIS: New York has Agent Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) return to his hometown, where he teams up with a charismatic agent (Caan) to lead a team of agents on high-stakes missions defending the city and its infrastructure from enemies of all kinds. The show is slated to air on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST in the fall.
The Queens, New York, native portrayed Hanna in NCIS: Los Angeles for 14 seasons from 2009 to 2003, with appearances on the flagship series and on NCIS: Hawai’i. He’ll be back on the flagship series for a story arc on April 21 and April 28. For Caan, his role marks a return to the network where he was most prominent for his portrayal of Danny “Danno” Williams in Hawaii 5-0. The show ran for 10 seasons from 2010 to 2020. While he had one crossover appearance on NCIS, for NCIS: New York, he will be playing a brand-new character.
The casting is also notable with two rappers in the lead roles for this new series. LL Cool J’s Hip-Hop resume is well-known as a two-time Grammy Award winner as well as being the first MC to receive The Kennedy Center Honors to
go along with being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
Caan, who is the son of the late, legendary actor James Caan, was one half of the teenage Hip-Hop duo The Whooliganz, who would be part of the Soul Assassins family formed by Cypress Hill. The other member? Revered producer and MC The Alchemist. The two reunited to rhyme on “Byron G” on the Step Brothers’ 2014 album Lord Steppington, along with another childhood friend, Evidence.
