For the actors joining the franchise, the ensemble was part of the draw. “The chance to work with everyone got me very excited right away,” Harper says, crediting LL COOL J with helping the newcomers find their footing. Byers recalls going to lunch with Harper after their chemistry read and realizing how much they both wanted to be part of the show. “Yeah, the comedy is really strong, like the writing's really strong,” she says.

Druid found that same appeal on the page. “You find this character, you find the things that you really enjoy about it, and you're like, wait, I'm having a lot more fun and I connect to this way more than you think,” he says.  

More Than the Missions

Fans who have followed Sam through 14 seasons of NCIS: Los Angeles (and beyond) know he’s got baggage of his own, shaped by years of high-stakes missions and devastating loss. Sam’s move to New York builds on this emotional weight. As LL COOL J told Entertainment Weekly, “Sam has been through a lot and his homecoming is about soul-searching and finding himself again...”

Creating multidimensional characters is part of what helps a procedural like NCIS sustain its connection with audiences. While the investigations largely drive the storylines, it’s the team dynamics, banter and personal relationships that give viewers a reason to care about who’s solving them.

That balance also guides how the series builds on its place in the NCIS universe. “Our goal is to honor the franchise but make a show that can live on its own,” says showrunner and executive producer Byron Balasco. “That said, so much of the DNA of this show is 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.”

Rediscovering NYC

“New York is a character. It gives you so many different people from all over the world, so many different types of energies,” LL COOL J says. “You're very close to the street when you film in New York.”