What Happened To LL Cool J's Sam Hanna On NCIS: Los Angeles?

The final episode of "NCIS: Los Angeles" first aired on May 21, 2023, concluding a run of more than 320 episodes across 14 seasons. Some of its principal characters, like G. Callen (Chris O'Donnell) and Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah), have now effectively exited from the NCIS universe, though future cameo appearances are likely not out of the question. However, the "NCIS: LA" finale isn't the end for LL Cool J's character Sam Hanna, who appears in two episodes of "NCIS: Hawai'i" Season 2 and will become a regular cast member in Season 3.

At the start of the final episode of "NCIS: LA," titled "New Beginnings, Part Two," Hanna is accompanying Callen on what has essentially become a routine sort of special mission for the two of them. What makes this one particularly unique is that Callen is getting married to Anna Kolcheck (Bar Poly) afterward. Meanwhile, Hanna learns that a medical trial may well save the life of his father, Raymond Hanna (Richard Gant).

While the occasion of Callen's wedding works as a happy ending for the "NCIS: LA" crew, the finale decides to have its cake and eat it too, leaving viewers with a cliffhanger — Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt) is in Morocco, and it's up to Hanna, Callen, and Nell Jones (Renée Felice Smith) to rescue her. Hanna, then, has an important mission in his future after "NCIS: LA," the details of which may well surface in the franchise's future.

While the last episode of "NCIS: Los Angeles" implies that Sam Hanna and a couple of his Office of Special Projects colleagues will be the focus of a subsequent NCIS storyline, when he shows up in the "NCIS: Hawai'i" Season 2 finale, it seems to be in the Hetty rescue mission's wake. Hanna mentions Morocco in this episode, so he and his companions have implicitly saved Hetty by this point in the NCIS timeline. That said, given that details remain vague, it's possible that some sort of flashback or special episode might paint a clearer picture of his time in Morocco, and even allow the franchise to temporarily bring back G. Callen and Nell Jones.

Since Hanna's return is likely a major selling point for roping in new "NCIS: Hawai'i" viewers, specifics about just how he will impact the show's existing milieu are still largely under wraps. "Now, we have the amazing opportunity to bring Sam Hanna to Hawai'i to help the island solve some cases and maybe have a few laughs in the process," series lead Vanessa Lachey said in a statement circulated to outlets like Entertainment Weekly. "It's going to be a fun ride."