When NCIS: New York was announced and it was revealed that LL Cool J would be back as Sam Hanna, it was hard not to wonder whether Scott Caan would be playing a new character or reprising his role as Danny Williams from Hawaii Five-0. Ironically, the universes haven’t just crossed over; Sam has worked with Danny before. However, that will not be happening in this new spinoff that's about to premiere on the 2026 TV schedule. Instead, Caan will be playing a brand new character, and he explained why. Now, Caan returning to CBS to play Danny Williams wasn’t totally out of the question. According to LL Cool J, it was actually “considered.” That makes sense too, because in 2012, Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS: LA crossed over. Therefore, it’s not like Danny’s return would have been coming out of nowhere, there’s history. However, apparently, Caan wanted a “fresh, clean start,” according to the Sam actor. Explaining that point further to EW, Caan said: When you do something like this that hopefully goes on for years, it changes and takes on its own life, and sometimes you don’t fully figure out what you’re doing until five, six episodes into the first season. I like that part of it, and to have not been able to have that with this would’ve been fine, but wouldn’t have been my first choice. I’m having a good time figuring out a new lane.That certainly makes sense. Caan was on Hawaii Five-0 for ten seasons. Between 2010 and 2020, he starred in 240 episodes of Five-0 (which you can stream with a Paramount+ subscription). While it’s fun to return to certain characters, I see why he wanted to start fresh in the NCIS universe – which, to be fair, he’d only spent one episode in as Danny Williams. So, with that being said, allow me to introduce you to Nick Schaeffer. That’s Scott Caan’s character in NCIS: New York, and he’ll be Sam’s new partner in the city that never sleeps. Per the report, the two characters will hit it off right away when Sam finds himself in the Big Apple. Based on the trailer, it looks like they work well together but also bicker like brothers. Honestly, it sounds like a match made in heaven. Despite not wanting to reprise his role as Danny in NCIS: New York, Caan was thrilled about the series overall. In fact, he gushed about the spinoff and explained why saying yes to it was a “no-brainer”: When CBS calls, it’s generally gonna be something good. And working with [LL] was a no-brainer. I didn’t imagine I’d be doing a show like this, but literally the second I got the call, I was like, ‘Yeah, you can’t say no to this, this is too good.’Now, while Caan was all for a fresh start, LL Cool J is in the opposite boat. He played Sam Hanna in 323 episodes of NCIS: LA, which ended after 14 seasons in 2023, and he’s reprised his role in various episodes of NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i. He’ll be back leading an NCIS show with New York, and he explained that he keeps returning to play Sam because he’s “a really cool character.” Overall, I think this mix of old and new will make this new series, which premieres on CBS on Tuesday, October 6 at 9 p.m. ET, even better. I love that LL Cool J is returning as a character we know and love. I’m also super excited to be introduced to a whole new team, including Scott Caan’s character. And overall, it looks like they’re all having a blast creating this new NCIS series. However, I can’t help but wonder if the resemblance between Nick Schaeffer and Danny Williams will come up, because they do look a whole lot alike…