The NCIS universe has a new home base, and New York City is bringing more to the table than a recognizable skyline.
In NCIS: New York, the latest addition to CBS’ long-running crime franchise, the cases are rooted in the city’s complexities, the team doesn’t always see eye to eye, and the agents’ personal connections can be just as important as the evidence in front of them. Leading the charge is LL COOL J, reprising his role as Special Agent Sam Hanna, with Scott Caan joining the franchise as the sharp-edged Nick Schaeffer.
But this isn’t simply a familiar agent dropped into a new office. As Sam returns to his hometown to investigate a death that hits close to home, he finds himself working alongside a team with its own personalities, professional instincts and growing sense of camaraderie. It’s a fresh dynamic for a franchise that knows its audience well, but still has room to surprise it.
Before the first case even hit the screen, the cast and crew — along with VIPs and even members of the military — gathered to the Intrepid Museum in the heart of Midtown Manhattan to celebrate the show’s upcoming premiere in a setting that felt straight out of the NCIS playbook. Celeb Secrets‘ Juliet Schroder was one of the lucky few to score an invite to the can’t-miss event, where she was able to see LL COOL J arrive in a military truck before taking a moment to recognize the service members in attendance and thank them for putting their lives on the line to protect the country.
We caught up with the stars of NCIS: New York to talk new character, behind-the-scenes friendships and the on-screen chemistry that has made this crew our current TV obsession.
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For longtime NCIS: Los Angeles viewers, Sam Hanna’s return is an immediate draw. But the reason he’s back in New York gives the new series a more personal starting point than a routine assignment.
After years of special assignments and covert operations, Sam returns to his hometown after learning that his friend, Navy reservist Jack Halloway, has died. The circumstances surrounding Jack’s death don’t sit right with him, and Sam isn’t prepared to accept suicide as the final answer. Determined to uncover what really happened, he begins an investigation that quickly becomes more than professional business.
That emotional thread gives the series premiere its momentum. Sam isn’t just learning the ins and outs of a new office; he’s navigating a case that carries personal weight while figuring out how he fits into a team that already has its own way of doing things.
Enter Nick Schaeffer.
Played by Caan, Nick is a little roguish, occasionally unpredictable and more than willing to challenge a seasoned agent. Rather than simply positioning Sam as the unquestioned authority, the series sets up a partnership in which contrasting instincts can be both a source of friction and an advantage.
The pairing also gives the show room to balance its more serious investigations with humor and personality. In a franchise built on teams, the question isn’t just whether these agents can solve a case. It’s whether they can learn to trust one another when the stakes are high.
For Caan, signing on had less to do with a particular plot twist than with the people behind the project.
“It wasn’t the script,” Caan told Celeb Secrets at the premiere. “It was the people involved.”
The actor explained that his existing relationship with CBS and his confidence in the creative team ultimately made the decision for him — so much so that he agreed to join the series before reading a script.
“CBS is always very good to me,” he added. “And, yeah, if I’m gonna do a show like this it’s gonna be with these people and with CBS.”
Sam and Nick may be the partnership at the center of NCIS: New York, but the series isn’t built around two agents working in isolation. The wider team brings different strengths — and different personalities — to the investigations.
Jennifer Beals plays Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Robyn Wells, the leader responsible for keeping the operation on track. Shane Harper stars as Wyatt Sellers, whose wholesome, heart-forward outlook offers a different perspective on the job, while Jacqueline Byers plays Addy Ross, a capable and bright-eyed agent finding her footing within the group. Rounding out the team is Devin Druid as Sean Sullivan, a hacker-turned-computer specialist whose complicated history with the justice system makes him an unconventional addition to the agency.
The characters have distinct roles to play, but the cast’s real-life rapport may be just as important to making the ensemble work. Byers told Celeb Secrets that she and Harper clicked during their chemistry read. The connection was immediate enough that they even went to lunch together before either knew whether they’d landed their roles.
Harper, meanwhile, is enjoying the chance to play someone who breaks from some of the characters he’s portrayed before.
“My favorite part about playing the character is all of the plaid shirts he gets to wear,” he joked to Celeb Secrets.
“It’s a really fun character,” he continued. “He’s very different than anything I’ve ever done. He’s very wholesome, very heart forward. It’s a lot of fun.”
Druid’s Sean offers another flavor entirely. The actor described him as a smart aleck with an internet-savvy mind who catches references other people might miss — essentially, the cooler little brother of your best friend. Beneath the humor, however, is someone whose technical expertise makes him a valuable part of the operation.
“What’s really great about this group is that they respect that he gets stuff done,” he shared.
A crime drama set in New York City comes with built-in expectations. The city has appeared on screen countless times, but NCIS: New York has an opportunity to make its setting feel specific to the stories being told rather than simply using the skyline as shorthand.
Filming in the city helps. Instead of relying solely on familiar establishing shots, the production brings real New York locations and their everyday energy into the series. For a cast with its own connections to the East Coast, that authenticity became part of the experience.
Byers pointed to the Diamond District as a particular highlight. The production brought people who worked in the area onto the set as extras, giving the scene an atmosphere that couldn’t simply be manufactured.
“People were walking by, hollering,” she told Celeb Secrets. “It’s like the whole energy of the Diamond District is in the scene. You don’t even have to play it.”
For Beals, New York’s appeal goes far beyond its iconic landmarks. It’s the people, the unpredictability and the little moments that make the city impossible to replicate. Having lived in the Big Apple herself, the actress knows firsthand that there’s a certain art to keeping up with its nonstop energy, something that also informs how she approaches playing Robyn Wells.
When Celeb Secrets asked how the city has shaped her perspective, Beals summed it up in a way that feels so New York.
“[It] gives you resilience,” she explained, adding that living in the city teaches you “to find joy in the chaos.”
And if you’ve ever struck up a random conversation with a stranger on the subway or stumbled into a moment that turns an ordinary day into a story worth telling, you know exactly what she means. For Beals, those unexpected connections are part of the city’s magic — and they’re the kind of details that make New York feel like so much more than a backdrop.
The latest spinoff also arrives with the advantage of an established franchise and an audience that has followed its agents for years. CBS launched NCIS: New York as part of its all-NCIS Tuesday lineup during Premiere Week on October 6, alongside the season 24 premiere of NCIS and the season three premiere of NCIS: Origins. The crossover appeal was clear: Michael Weatherly returned as Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo Jr. on NCIS, LL COOL J brought Sam Hanna into the new series, and Mark Harmon returned as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS: Origins.
According to Nielsen figures provided by CBS, the three-hour lineup averaged 5.49 million viewers, finishing as the night’s No. 1 broadcast lineup and marking a 39% increase over CBS’ Premiere Tuesday lineup from the previous year.
The NCIS: New York premiere itself averaged 5.62 million viewers, making it the night’s second-most-watched scripted broadcast program. The audience was up 53% compared with the year-ago premiere of NCIS: Origins in the same time slot and 50% above that series’ year-ago season average.
Those early numbers definitely give the new series a promising launchpad, as fans can now see how Sam, Nick and the rest of the team’s cases (and relationships) develop throughout the season.
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In tonight’s episode titled “Family Business,” a jewelry store robbery involving military explosives leaves the jeweler’s son dead. The team must track down those responsible for the deadly heist, following the evidence to establish what happened and who was behind it. The case puts the unit’s investigative skills to work while continuing to establish how its members operate under pressure. After Sam’s emotionally charged return to New York in the premiere, the new episode offers another look at how his experience fits alongside Nick’s instincts and the team’s specialized expertise.
It also gives new viewers a straightforward entry point. You don’t need years of NCIS history to understand the stakes of a deadly robbery or a team trying to find answers; the appeal is in watching these particular agents work through the case together. With its established franchise legacy, an ensemble already finding its rhythm and a city that supplies as much personality as atmosphere, NCIS: New York is making its own case for a place in the weekly lineup.
New episodes of NCIS: New York air every Tuesday at 9PM ET/PT on CBS. Episodes are also available to stream on Paramount+, with availability depending on the subscriber’s plan.
