More Details About CBS' New Spinoff NCIS: Hawai'i Dropped, And I Can't Wait

NCIS: Hawai'i cast and crew.
(Image credit: cbs press)

As the latest spinoff from the NCIS family, NCIS: Hawai’i is getting closer to its September debut, and more details are thankfully starting to emerge ahead of the series premiere. With filming having started a couple of months ago, the series is one step closer to making it to audiences' eyeballs, and the executive producers are letting fans know more about what to expect. Beyond just a pumped-up cast, that is.

Executive producers Matt Boasack, Jan Nash and Christopher Silber previewed what will bring Vanessa Lachey’s Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant to the North Shore for NCIS: Hawai'i, and what her personality will be like heading into the newest NCIS series. Speaking with TVLine, who also shared the first official stills from the new spinoff, the EPs shared this:

When we first meet Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant, her brilliance and compassion are on full display when, after being pulled away from coaching her daughter’s soccer team, she heads to the North Shore to lead an investigation into a top secret Navy program. We can’t wait for viewers to get to know her and her team this September.

When Vanessa Lachey was first cast in April, she became the first female to headline an NCIS series, which makes way for more females to lead the charge if CBS ever makes another NCIS spinoff. And it was recently announced that Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Enver Gjokaj will recur as Navy Captain Joe Millus, who'll be clashing with Jane Tennant. That rivalry of sorts is hinted at in the first images, as the two are looking very official at Pearl Harbor, though on opposite sides of the line.

When production started on the newest series, the cast and crew celebrated with a traditional Hawaiian blessing on the island of Oahu to honor the Hawaiian culture. It’s not a surprise that CBS was quick to give NCIS: Hawai’i a fall premiere date, considering they need to pair NCIS with another series. But instead of airing on Tuesdays, the flagship series changing nights for the first time in years to make room for a full night of FBI, with the Dick Wolf-created crime drama being slotted ahead of its two successors.

Not that Monday nights will be the only place for fans to find NCIS: Hawai’i after it premieres. While promoting the show’s production start, CBS noted that the show would also be streaming on Paramount+. While it’s not so uncommon for networks to promote their shows' respective streaming platforms, it’s slightly rarer for one to go that route while also promoting the initial premiere date. This could indicate that CBS is going to push for NCIS: Hawai’i on Paramount+ more than it has for other shows, possibly giving it a more prominent role on the streaming service.

With SEAL Team making a move to Paramount+ later in its upcoming season, could NCIS: Hawai’i do the same? With the franchise doing so well, CBS might want to try another form of longevity, but only time will tell. Along with all the other 2021 Fall TV series, NCIS: Hawai’i premieres on CBS on Monday, September 20.

Megan Behnke
Freelance TV News Writer

Passionate writer. Obsessed with anything and everything entertainment, specifically movies and television. Can get easily attached to fictional characters.