LL Cool J is bringing Sam Hanna back to television, but he isn’t rushing to bring his own songs along for the ride.
“Honestly, I’m not looking to put my own music in the show,” the rapper, actor and NCIS: NEW YORK executive producer told Entertainment Tonight earlier this month. He would rather give other artists a turn on the soundtrack.
That might surprise fans who know him as both a television regular and a hip-hop star. His CBS biography lists music, acting and his Rock The Bells platform among his pursuits, but he wants viewers of the new series to see the agent, not simply the musician playing him.
Asked which of his tracks belongs in the show, LL Cool J explained that using his own music would feel a little predictable. Instead, he wants to step aside and let both established performers and newcomers shine while he concentrates on Sam Hanna.
He hasn’t ruled out an LL Cool J track forever. He simply said the team isn’t rushing to include one, leaving the door open without making his catalog the starting point.
Music still helps set the mood behind the scenes. When Entertainment Tonight asked how the cast builds camaraderie between intense scenes, he described a set where music plays and everyone enjoys working together.
Related: LL Cool J and Scott Caan Break Down Their New NCIS: NEW YORK Partnership
“It’s always good vibes, good energy,” he said.
And there’s another familiar presence he wants the series to celebrate: New York itself. According to CBS’ official description, Hanna returns to his hometown and partners with actor Scott Caan’s Nick Schaeffer to help lead a team protecting the city and its port. Actress Jennifer Beals plays their supervisor, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robyn Wells, putting a new field office around a familiar franchise face.
“I haven’t done a lot of work in New York in terms of acting,” LL Cool J said. Working there now, he explained, gives the project a personal sense of coming full circle.
He said the production has worked in Queens and Brooklyn, with stages in Brooklyn, and he values staying connected to the people who live there. Even restaurant names matter. He described keeping their real names rather than disguising the places the team visits.
That attention to the city carries over to his approach to the job. Asked about challenges in the new series, LL Cool J said familiarity shouldn’t become an excuse to coast; he wants to treat the work as fresh and take it scene by scene.
“Every moment matters. Every moment counts,” he said. The commitment comes with a much more ordinary hurdle, too: getting up early.
“I’m not really a morning person, but I’ve been figuring it out so far,” he admitted. Even Sam Hanna’s return needs an alarm clock.
NCIS: NEW YORK premiered Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, between NCIS and NCIS: ORIGINS. Paramount+ also carries the series, with live access for Premium subscribers and next-day on-demand access for Essential subscribers.
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