What To Know
- Brian Dietzen will bring his character, Dr. Jimmy Palmer, over to the newest NCIS spinoff New York.
- The series premieres October 6 on CBS.
Let’s hope when this onscreen reunion happens that no one’s kidnapped this time. Brian Dietzen is going to be bringing Dr. Jimmy Palmer from NCIS over to the newest spinoff in the franchise, New York, starring LL COOL J reprising his role as Sam Hanna. (He originated the character on NCIS: LA and later brought him to the mothership and Hawai’i.) And considering how much their friendship has grown over the years, we’re looking forward to what we’ll see there this time.
“We got one Jimmy Palmer popping up right away,” showrunner Byron Balasco revealed during a panel with reporters for NCIS: New York. “Great guy, great actor.”
NCIS: New York is just the latest spinoff in the long-running and ever-expanding franchise. JAG started it all, leading to NCIS, and other spinoffs include New Orleans, Sydney, Origins, and Tony & Ziva.
“Our goal is to honor the franchise but make a show that can live on its own. That said, so much of the DNA of this show was family, and we’re all in the same universe, so you can absolutely expect to see some familiar faces coming over to hang out with us for a while,” Balasco added.
For our in-depth Fall Preview, LL COOL J told TV Insider that when it comes to characters across the franchise coming in, “We’re going to leave it open. They’re all welcome. The whole universe is welcome. We’re the new kids on the block in terms of the franchise.” Scott Caan added, “Everyone wants to come to New York.”
Jimmy and Sam have crossed paths a few times in the past, including during the three-show crossover with NCIS, LA, and Hawai’i, during which they were kidnapped, along with Vanessa Lachey‘s Jane Tennant.
“Yeah, that’s one of those things where you think, yeah, Brian Dietzen and LL Cool J star in a buddy cop film,” Dietzen told us with a laugh in 2023. “It was a blast to do. Really, we had a good time and Todd is just a wonderful person to work with. I’ve seen him at so many different functions because of CBS and we’ve been able to talk and obviously he’s the GOAT, he’s one of the greatest entertainers, rappers of all time. And so being able to actually share scenes with him, I was very excited for it and it didn’t disappoint. Between he and I and Vanessa Lachey, we got to have some fun in that black ops holding cell for a few days, and yeah, it was really, really great.”
Robert Voets/CBS
What are you hoping to see when Brian Dietzen crosses over to New York? Let us know in the comments section below.
NCIS: New York, Series Premiere, Tuesday, October 6, 10/9c, CBS