I Thought People Would Be Pumped About LL Cool J And NCIS: New York, But I Did Not See The Haters Coming

By now, a little birdie may have told you there’s another NCIS series coming to the 2026 TV schedule. This one will be called NCIS: New York, and it will bring LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna back. The rapper and actor has popped up in a number of NCIS properties since Los Angeles was canceled back in 2023, and now he’ll be back as a leading man again. I thought fans would be pumped, and I did not see the haters coming.

Here’s what happened. When CBS announced yet another franchise spinoff, they did so with a post on Instagram I personally thought was kind of cute.

To be fair, no one really had a problem with the post itself, but many seemed to have an issue with what it means for the franchise and the network as a whole. For example, a lot of fans are still salty about NCIS: Los Angeles being axed years later. In fact, a lot of fans were still upset about a lot of the cancelations CBS has had coming down the pipeline in recent seasons, and not just when it comes to NCIS properties.

• "We just want NCIS LA back."
• "Seriously? CBS cancels Blue Bloods because it is too expensive to film in NYC but now makes NCIS NEW YORK?!"
• "You’ve gotta be kidding me……y’all just couldn’t renew Hawaii? All of a sudden you got money for this? Make it make sense."
• "I'll bet you anything this won't reach 10+ mil viewers Hawaii had. Why can't you just admit you were wrong for cancelling it? Get over on Twitter and check how many people talk about Hawaii DAILY even now. Inventing a new spin-off instead of bringing back fan-favourite Hawaii is pure insanity."
• "Wished you had kept NCIS Hawaii though….."

I was surprised folks were still harried about the likes of Blue Bloods and Hawai’i, but one thing that perhaps I should have seen coming (I didn’t, but I should have), was the number of fans still upset about the decision that came down the pipeline more recently. That would be the cancelation of the Tony & Ziva spinoff. Season 1 can still be viewed with a Paramount+ subscription, but it is firmly canceled. The fan campaign is still going strong, however, and people really seem to want Cote De Pablo and Michael Weatherly to keep going on global adventures.

• "Making a new NCIS when they cancelled Tony & Ziva?!!! #savetonyandziva"
• "Is this why you canceled Tony and Ziva?"
• "Simply just renewing NCIS: Tony and Ziva would have made more sense then this #SaveTonyandZiva"
• "We want NCIS Tony and Ziva back! #savetonyandziva"
• "Y’all [stil]l doing anything but what the actual fans want huh?! Give us TIVA back #savetonyandziva"

They go on like this too, and many of the upset comments have dozens if not hundreds of likes. To be fair, plenty of CBS viewers had positive comments, too. Many had nice things to say about LL Cool J coming back for more than a guest stint. Others seemed excited about LL Cool J teaming up with Scott Caan, who was formerly on CBS thanks to Hawaii Five-0 (which tragically was also canceled).

To me it feels clear that CBS has gone hard in the paint when it comes to NCIS shows, and not all of those programs have come with longevity. Here's hoping New York is different, and the fans are able to finally breathe sighs of relief.