# Jocko Sims
**Jocko Sims** (born 1981) is an American actor, producer, writer, and director best known for playing Dr. Floyd Reynolds on the NBC medical drama *[New Amsterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-amsterdam-2018-tv-series)* (2018–2022), Lt. Carlton Burk on the TNT action series *The Last Ship* (2014–2018), and Dr. George Tann in Netflix's 2026 adaptation of *Little House on the Prairie*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1544650/) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/4890/jocko-sims)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981; sources disagree on the city, giving San Antonio, Texas[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/) or Houston, Texas[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1544650/) |
| Education | B.A. in theater from UCLA, 2004, after studying theater at the University of Houston[4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9925) |
| Breakthrough | Anthony Adams, an aspiring hip-hop artist, on the Starz drama *Crash* (2008–2009)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/) |
| Longest TV runs | Lt. Carlton Burk on *The Last Ship* (5 seasons, 56 episodes); Dr. Floyd Reynolds on *New Amsterdam* (87 episodes)[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/4890/jocko-sims) |
| Recent work | Alex Williams on Hulu's *How to Die Alone* (2024, 8 episodes); Tucker Crosby on *Grosse Pointe Garden Society* (2025)[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/4890/jocko-sims) |
| Current role | Dr. George Tann, a main-cast character in every episode of *Little House on the Prairie* season 1 (Netflix, July 9, 2026)[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/1274221/little-house-on-the-prairie-jocko-sims-george-tann-interview/) • [6](https://www.1ofmystories.com/2026/06/an-interview-with-jocko-sims-dr-tann-on.html) |
| Behind the camera | Wrote and directed the comedy pilot *Grown*, which won the SXSW 2023 jury prize for Best Independent TV Pilot[7](https://press.hulu.com/bios/jocko-sims/) |
## Early life and education
Sims was born in 1981. His biography pages disagree on the Texas city: TV Insider lists [San Antonio](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/), while IMDb and [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) list Houston[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1544650/) • [8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jocko-sims/credits/3030376050/). The South African profile site TVSA states that he grew up in San Antonio, studied theater at the [University of Houston](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-houston), then transferred to UCLA, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in theater in 2004[4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9925). In interviews he has said that as a student he wanted to be a doctor, was a straight-A student in the top 5 percent of his class, and belonged to the National Honor Society, and that after choosing acting he still wanted to play a doctor on screen[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/1274221/little-house-on-the-prairie-jocko-sims-george-tann-interview/).
## Television career
**Early guest roles.** Sims made his acting debut in an episode of *Cold Case* (CBS)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/). Through the mid-2000s he accumulated guest credits on network series including *Grey's Anatomy*, *Bones*, *Criminal Minds*, *Burn Notice*, *[Private Practice](https://www.edgepedia.org/private-practice-tv-series)*, *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*, *[NCIS](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncis-tv-series)*, and *NYPD Blue*, and voiced Ice Pick on the animated *American Dad!*[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jocko-sims/).
**Crash and The Last Ship.** In 2008 Sims was cast as [Anthony Adams](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-adams) on *Crash* (Starz, 2008–2009), a street-smart chauffeur who evolves into the hip-hop artist Panic; his character performs a song in the show's third episode that was released as a single on iTunes[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/) • [4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9925). In 2014 he joined *The Last Ship* (TNT) as Lt. Carlton Burk, a recurring character in the first season who was promoted to the main cast in the second; the series ran five seasons, and Sims appeared in 56 episodes[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/4890/jocko-sims). Between seasons of *The Last Ship* he played Robert Franklin, a civil rights activist, on the second season of Showtime's *Masters of Sex*[10](https://www.elizabethdolefoundation.org/team-members/jocko-sims).
**New Amsterdam.** In 2018 Sims joined the NBC medical drama *New Amsterdam* as Dr. Floyd Reynolds, a cardiothoracic surgeon at [Bellevue Hospital](https://www.edgepedia.org/bellevue-hospital), the oldest public hospital in the United States[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/) • [11](https://globalnews.ca/news/4474993/jocko-sims-new-amsterdam-interview/). The character's patient-first decisions eventually led him to leadership of the cardiac department[12](https://www.filmifeed.com/celebs/jocko-sims/). Reynolds briefly departs the show in season 2, when he moves to San Francisco with his fiancée Evie[13](https://www.tvinsider.com/926349/), but Sims remained with the series through its five-season run, which ended on January 17, 2023; he appeared in 87 episodes[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/4890/jocko-sims) • [14](https://www.tvinsider.com/1078267/new-amsterdam-jocko-sims-memories-reynolds-bloopers-spinoffs/). He has said that landing the role fulfilled his long-standing wish to play a doctor and to work for NBC[15](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-tfu-podcast-248975132/episode/jocko-sims-talks-new-amsterdam-the-326711542/).
**Recent series.** In 2024 Sims starred as Alex Williams in all eight episodes of the first season of Hulu's workplace comedy *How to Die Alone*, opposite Natasha Rothwell[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/4890/jocko-sims) • [16](https://thegrio.com/videos/entertainment/1764788/). He also guest-starred as Ronnie Oliver in two episodes of *High Potential* (2024–2025) and as Tucker Crosby in eight episodes of *Grosse Pointe Garden Society* (2025)[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/4890/jocko-sims).
## Little House on the Prairie
In Netflix's 2026 reimagining of *Little House on the Prairie*, created by [Rebecca Sonnenshine](https://www.edgepedia.org/rebecca-sonnenshine) and premiering July 9, 2026, Sims plays Dr. George A. Tann, a main-cast character who appears in every episode of the first season[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/1274221/little-house-on-the-prairie-jocko-sims-george-tann-interview/) • [6](https://www.1ofmystories.com/2026/06/an-interview-with-jocko-sims-dr-tann-on.html). The character is based on a real Black physician and Civil War-era Kansas pioneer who treated the Ingalls family's malaria around 1870; in Wilder's novel he appears only briefly, and in the 1970s television series he appeared in a single episode, while the Netflix series makes him the first person the Ingalls family meets in Kansas[17](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/little-house-on-the-prairie-netflix-cast/) • [6](https://www.1ofmystories.com/2026/06/an-interview-with-jocko-sims-dr-tann-on.html) • [18](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-07-09/little-house-on-prairie-netflix-creator-rebecca-sonnenshine).
Sims has said he was initially reluctant to join a remake of a beloved property but changed his mind after reading a script that returned to the books rather than the 1970s show[19](https://www.cloudypicture.com/p/jocko-sims-interview). To prepare, he researched the real Tann, studied period medicine, read *Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass*, and found Tann's tombstone in Independence, Kansas, which credits him with saving the Ingalls family's lives[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/1274221/little-house-on-the-prairie-jocko-sims-george-tann-interview/) • [12](https://www.filmifeed.com/celebs/jocko-sims/) • [20](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/features/little-house-on-the-prairie-season-1-cast-guide?inapp=true%2F). In the series, Tann develops a romance with Emily Henderson ([Barrett Doss](https://www.edgepedia.org/barrett-doss)), the general store owner[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/1274221/little-house-on-the-prairie-jocko-sims-george-tann-interview/).
## Film work
Sims's film credits include Julius in the war drama *Jarhead* (2005), Elvis Kelly in [Bill Condon](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-condon)'s Oscar-winning musical *[Dreamgirls](https://www.edgepedia.org/dreamgirls-film)*, and a role in the 2014 summer box-office hit *[Dawn of the Planet of the Apes](https://www.edgepedia.org/dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes)*[10](https://www.elizabethdolefoundation.org/team-members/jocko-sims). He also starred in the 2008 feature *Something Is Killing Tate* and later appeared in *Beyond White Space* (2018), *The Sweet Life* (2016), and *Petting Zoo* (2015)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/).
## Writing and directing
Sims wrote, directed, and executive produced the independent comedy pilot *Grown* (2023), which won the jury prize for Best Independent TV Pilot when it premiered at SXSW, along with a Best Writer award and the Audience Comedy Award at SeriesFest[7](https://press.hulu.com/bios/jocko-sims/). In 2026 he reported plans to write and direct a short film about a military caregiver[21](https://www.amfm-magazine.tv/jocko-sims-on-playing-the-real-black-doctor-who-saved-the-ingalls-family-without-dr-tan-there-would-be-no-little-house-on-the-prairie/). He has also produced music and managed music artists[10](https://www.elizabethdolefoundation.org/team-members/jocko-sims).
## Advocacy and personal life
Sims serves as a Hidden Heroes Ambassador for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, which supports military caregivers[10](https://www.elizabethdolefoundation.org/team-members/jocko-sims). He lives in Los Angeles[4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9925) and is active on social media as @jockosims[17](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/little-house-on-the-prairie-netflix-cast/).
## References
1. [Jocko Sims – Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jocko-sims/)
2. [Jocko Sims – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1544650/)
3. [Jocko Sims – TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/4890/jocko-sims)
4. [Jocko Sims – TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9925)
5. [‘Little House on the Prairie’: Jocko Sims Reveals How Latest Doctor Role Is Very Different, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1274221/little-house-on-the-prairie-jocko-sims-george-tann-interview/)
6. [An Interview with Jocko Sims, Dr. Tann on the new Netflix Little House series, 1 of my Stories](https://www.1ofmystories.com/2026/06/an-interview-with-jocko-sims-dr-tann-on.html)
7. [Jocko Sims – Hulu Press](https://press.hulu.com/bios/jocko-sims/)
8. [Jocko Sims List of Movies and TV Shows – TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jocko-sims/credits/3030376050/)
9. [Jocko Sims – Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jocko-sims/)
10. [Jocko Sims – Elizabeth Dole Foundation](https://www.elizabethdolefoundation.org/team-members/jocko-sims)
11. [Jocko Sims, ‘New Amsterdam’ star, on what to expect from the hospital drama – Global News](https://globalnews.ca/news/4474993/jocko-sims-new-amsterdam-interview/)
12. [Jocko Sims: Biography & New Amsterdam – FilmiFeed](https://www.filmifeed.com/celebs/jocko-sims/)
13. [‘New Amsterdam’s Jocko Sims on Reynolds’ Tough Decision & His Future – TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/926349/)
14. [Jocko Sims Shares ‘New Amsterdam’ Memories & Suggests Spinoffs – TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1078267/new-amsterdam-jocko-sims-memories-reynolds-bloopers-spinoffs/)
15. [Jocko Sims Talks New Amsterdam, The Last Ship, Crash – TFU Podcast, iHeart](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-tfu-podcast-248975132/episode/jocko-sims-talks-new-amsterdam-the-326711542/)
16. [5 Questions with Jocko Sims – theGrio](https://thegrio.com/videos/entertainment/1764788/)
17. [Meet the Cast of Netflix's ‘Little House on the Prairie’ – Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/little-house-on-the-prairie-netflix-cast/)
18. [The creator of ‘Little House on the Prairie’ isn't worried about being called ‘woke’ – Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-07-09/little-house-on-prairie-netflix-creator-rebecca-sonnenshine)
19. [Jocko Sims Interview: Portraying Dr. Tann in Netflix's ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Adaptation – A Cloudy Picture](https://www.cloudypicture.com/p/jocko-sims-interview)
20. [Little House on the Prairie Season 1 Cast Guide – Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/features/little-house-on-the-prairie-season-1-cast-guide?inapp=true%2F)
21. [Jocko Sims on Playing the Real Black Doctor Who Saved the Ingalls Family – AMFM Magazine](https://www.amfm-magazine.tv/jocko-sims-on-playing-the-real-black-doctor-who-saved-the-ingalls-family-without-dr-tan-there-would-be-no-little-house-on-the-prairie/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Sh to So*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license