'NCIS: Los Angeles' Season 9 Spoilers: Hetty Gives Callen a 'Do or Die' Mission
It is up to Callen (Chris O'Donnell) to convince his dear friend, Sam (LL Cool J), to return to the squad in the upcoming season of "NCIS: Los Angeles."
In a recent interview with Extra, LL Cool J revealed that his character in the CBS series will need more time to accept the fact that his wife Michelle (Aunjanue Ellis) already passed away. She was killed by a terrorist in the previous installment. Sam went on a rampage because of what happened, and his team had to restrain him to keep him from committing a crime. The new season is expected to show Sam still grieving, though, and he apparently does not want to return to work. His friends will be racking their brains to come up with a strategy to make Sam come back to headquarters.
"They're trying to figure out how they're going to work Sam back into things because he's really reluctant, so we gotta see how that's gonna unfold," the actor told Extra.
With Sam remaining steadfast in his decision to quit, Hetty (Linda Hunt) will urge his closest buddy Callen to convince him to reconsider. The two have been partners for long, and though they have their personal lives, they share a tight friendship. If there is someone who knows Sam the best, it is going to be Callen. The latter may give the other ample time to rest and grieve, but he will make sure that Sam will return to the squad eventually, if it is the last thing he will do.
Meanwhile, there is going to be a major shift in the management of the NCIS team in season 9. The new executive assistant director, Shay Mosely (Nia Long), is expected to shake things up. The former Secret Service agent will replace Granger (Miguel Ferrer), who was killed in the last installment. It remains to be seen if she and the rest of the NCIS members will get along well.
"NCIS: Los Angeles" season 9 will air on Oct. 1 at 9:30 p.m. EDT on CBS.