See This Heartbreaking Footage Of Abandoned CBS Studio After Magnum P.I. And NCIS: Hawai’i Were Canceled

While we're officially six months into the 2025 TV schedule, there are still a handful of TV cancellations from 2024 that I will never get over. NCIS: Hawai’i and Magnum P.I. are two of these. The series, both set and filmed in the Aloha State, ended after their respective third and fifth seasons last year, with Magnum actually canceled for the second time this time around. The axings still feel fresh to me, butnew footage has been posted of the abandoned studio lot in Hawaii, and it's very clear time has passed.

Jason Antoon, who portrayed cyber intelligence specialist Ernie Malik on the NCIS: Hawai'i spinoff, shared a video on X from outside Hawaii Film Studio in Honolulu, O’ahu. It's no longer bustling with projects, and it seems pretty abandoned. So much so that it’s empty and “full of weeds,” as Antoon himself confirmed.

The overgrown grass an empty feeling is heartbreaking, and it's sad seeing the studios aren’t bringing much entertainment work to the island anymore. That wasn't always the case; Hawaii Film Studio was also previously the home of Hawaii Five-0 and Lost, as well as several other films and shows.

Rising costs have plagued the entertainment industry in recent years. "Financials" were previously cited by CBS as a reason the decision was made, and it's probably getting more expensive to shoot in Hawaii, and budget cuts seemed like a probability even before the show was shut down.

NCIS: Hawai’i’s cancellation last year was a pretty big shock, especially since it was doing well for the Eye Network. Star Vanessa Lachey was blindsided by the cancelation, and Antoon ended up trolling CBS over the news. There had been some hope that CBS would change its mind, since there were campaigns and petitions from very upset fans, but that never happened. Now seeing the studio looking like a ghost town makes me sad all over again.

There was hope things could continue in Hawaii following the cancellations, thanks to Fox’s Rescue: HI-Surf, a lifeguard drama set on the North Shore of O’ahu. However, that series also got the boot in May, but only because it didn’t bring in the audience Fox was expecting. What really needs to happen is for a new show to take over the studio lot, one that is guaranteed to not only bring in jobs to the locals but one that will last, a rarity on network TV these days.

NCIS: Hawai’i and Magnum P.I. may be no longer, but the shows live on thanks to streaming. Hawai’i can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription, while Magnum is available with an Amazon Prime subscription.