The NCIS franchise is expanding once again on the 2026 TV schedule with the newest spinoff, NCIS: New York. Premiering in a matter of days, the series will bring back LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna along with a new crop of NCIS Special Agents. Even though it has yet to premiere, fans already know about a small crossover. Franchise OG Brian Dietzen is set to appear in the premiere episode as Dr. Jimmy Palmer, but could we be getting more from him than just a one-off episode? LL and the EP are weighing in on the possibility.
Along with the report that Dietzen would appear in New York's premiere episode, it's also been said that the spinoff will bring in more franchise stars. It’s not so surprising, considering the amount of crossovers that have happened throughout the NCIS franchise in the last two decades. While it’s unknown whether Jimmy will be making his way to the Big Apple again after the debut episode, LL Cool J told TV Insider that he's down for it to happen following his latest experience working with Dietzen:
It felt good [having him there]. I love working with him. It was great to have him as a part of it. And I think we’ll do more crossovers in the future and I’d love to invite him back as well.
Sam and Jimmy’s paths have crossed numerous times, most recently in Season 23 of NCIS, so it’s going to be fun to see them together again in New York. Not only that, but it will probably be nice for Sam to see a familiar face. All in all, fans have seen that Sam and Jimmy make a pretty great team, even if they only work together briefly, and LL Cool J has a take on why the characters work so well together:
At the end of the day, everything’s about chemistry. Sometimes one plus one equals three. Depends who the ones are. That’s what it is.
This is the great thing about franchises. You never know who could pop up on what show and for how long. Now that there’s another NCIS spinoff, there are even more opportunities for crossovers to happen. Of course, with NCIS filming in Los Angeles and New York shooting in NYC, that does make collaboration a bit more difficult. However, NY showrunner Byron Balasco is not counting out another Jimmy Palmer appearance and more:
He might pop up again. Others might pop up. It’s one kind of big family, so there’ll be cross-pollination.
I would love nothing more than for Dietzen to pop up on New York multiple times. Obviously, the show hasn't even aired yet, but I don't think my hopes are premature. It excites me that the spinoff's team sounds like they’re all interested in having Dietzen return to the series, but we’ll just have to see how everything shakes out. At the very least, NCIS and NCIS: New York are going to be paired on Tuesday nights all season, which should make for two exciting hours of TV!
Even if Dietzen doesn’t appear on NCIS: New York again any time soon, fans will be able to watch his appearance in the series premiere, which airs on Tuesday, October 6 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, following the Season 24 premiere of NCIS. Also, new episodes will be available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription the following day.
