I’m new to the NCIS franchise. Even though the O.G. has been on since George W. Bush’s first term, I’ve only recently gotten into NCIS: New York. One of the reasons I decided to give it a go on the 2026 TV schedule was for Scott Caan. I was a big fan of Hawaii Five-0, especially the early seasons, and his character is great on it. In fact, my first dip into the NCIS universe was a Five-0 crossover with NCIS: Los Angeles. Despite appearing in that crossover, Caan isn’t reprising the role in NCIS: New York (as LL Cool J is). However, the character is pretty darn similar. (Image credit: Emily Aragones/CBS)A New Show, A New CharacterCaan played his Five-0 character, Danny “Danno” Williams, in that crossover episode, of course, but when he signed on to NCIS: New York, he did so in order to play a new character named Nick Schaeffer. I fully appreciate that Caan wants to avoid getting stuck in a rut playing Danny across franchises, but let’s be honest here: they are basically the same guy. Both characters are cops from the Tri-State area. Danny’s backstory on Hawaii Five-0 was that he was a divorced police detective who had to move to Hawaii to be close to his ex-wife and daughter. Nick is an NCIS Special Agent from New York City. Now, people in both NY and NJ will tell you they are different culturally, but those nuances are lost on most of America. Both Danny and Nick have a bit of snark in everything they do; they are both tough as nails, and they are both completely loyal to their partners. LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna in NCIS: New York and Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) in Five-0.So, again, basically the same character, but there are some fun differences. Danny was kind of a prick in the early seasons of Five-0. He wasn’t happy about living in Hawaii, he didn’t acclimate to the state's unique culture, and he was pretty much just grumpy about it all the time. He was snarky and prickly. Nick on NCIS: NY, on the other hand, is still a quippy partner who isn’t afraid to be honest with his team, but he’s a genuinely nice guy. He’s snarky, but he’s far from prickly. I’m into it. Scott Caan is great at playing this kind of role, so I’m really happy to see him doing it again. This article isn’t meant to be any kind of indictment, indeed, quite the opposite. I may miss Danno on Hawaii Five-0, but having Nick in New York is great. Procedurals, like NCIS: New York, for me, live or die on the strength of the cast. The stories are good, but they are like the hot dog when I’m really just looking for a vehicle for mustard. The characters are the mustard. The mustard is what makes hot dogs great, and it’s Caan, LL, and the rest of the cast, including Jennifer Beals, Jacqueline Byers, and Shane Harper, who are going to keep me tuning in week after week. If you'd like to tune in week after week, you can catch new episodes of NCIS: New York on CBS every Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, and you can stream it the next day with a Paramount+ subscription.