Three years after “NCIS: Los Angeles” wrapped its 14-season run, LL Cool J returned to the franchise as Senior Special Agent Sam Hanna in CBS’ new “NCIS” spinoff “NCIS: New York.” Created by R. Scott Gemmill, who also created “The Pitt,” the series follows Sam as he returns to his hometown after years of working in the global field. Although Sam is initially only in New York for a case, he finds himself drawn to the city and a new team ready to defend one of the world’s most vital ports. Although critics were given the pilot episode for review, the episode works well as a new extension of one of CBS’ longest-running series.
The 20-episode season opens nearly 7,000 miles from the Big Apple. Sam, who speaks Arabic fluently and whose expertise has brought him to the Middle East, works in Dubai. However, he gets distracted by his cell phone ringing repeatedly. An old friend of his, a Navy Reservist, called him several times and left numerous voicemails. Sam notes the calls but remains focused on his case. Unfortunately, when he answered his friend’s call, the man was lying dead on a bench in Central Park.
When Sam returns to America, he finds himself in the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s New York office at the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard. After convincing Deputy Special Agent in Charge Robyn Wells (Jennifer Beals) to investigate what happened to her friend, Robyn partners Sam with Nick Schaeffer (Scott Caan, playing a role from a “Hawaii Five-O” character who appears in a crossover episode of “NCIS: Los Angeles). Nick is an agent with a devil-may-care attitude and shares Sam’s love of New York. Rounding out the New York field office are the Special Agents. Addison “Addy” Ross (Jacqueline Byers), Special Agent Wyatt Sellers (Shane Harper), and Sean Sullivan (Devin Druid), a young, scrappy technician forced to work for NCIS because he was caught hacking the police pension fund.
“NCIS: New York” runs like a well-oiled machine. Sam and Nick’s first case involves murder, a romance scam, kidnapping, and a massive shootout. Viewers only get a glimpse of the characters’ personalities and backgrounds, but the series offers enough detail and texture to understand how Season 1 will unfold. LL Cool J’s Sam and Caan’s Nick have great chemistry and work well as a buddy-comedy duo rather than a dark, overly serious duo, which adds levity to the series. Despite some corny jokes, mostly based on the two men’s height difference, their banter is highly entertaining and will undoubtedly endear itself to longtime fans of the “NCIS” universe.
New York City also plays a major role in “NCIS: New York.” Sam and the team travel across town, from Brooklyn to Queens and even the Diamond District in Midtown, as they try to solve the mystery of the Navy Reservist’s death. Beyond the canned repartee between Nick and Sam, Addy and Wyatt share a sibling-like relationship that could turn into something more, especially considering that Wyatt is nursing a broken heart following the abrupt end of his engagement. Moreover, “NCIS” fans will definitely be interested to see what kind of bond and connection Sam and Robyn can form, even as he still mourns the loss of his late wife.
“NCIS: New York” is a solid spinoff. Although the show doesn’t necessarily elevate the series (so far), it has all the ingredients that have made it a staple of network television for the past two decades. With Sam’s beloved character and brand new faces coming onto the scene, the series will be stable, intriguing and likely to go even further.
“NCIS: New York” will premiere on CBS on October 6, with the remaining episodes airing weekly on Tuesdays.