NCIS: Hawai’i will end following its season 3 finale, and its (frankly, premature) cancelation is upsetting due to several factors. The CBS police procedural television series, created by Christopher Silber, Jan Nash, and Matt Bosack, is the fourth installment in the NCIS franchise and the third NCIS spin-off overall. As the title suggests, the show takes place in Hawai’i, and it follows the Pearl Harbor Field Office branch of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, led by Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant, played by Vanessa Lachey. Unfortunately, NCIS: Hawai’i’s story was seemingly not meant to last past season 3.
Aside from Lachey, the cast of NCIS: Hawai’i includes Alex Tarrant as Kai Holman, Noah Mills as Jesse Boone, Yasmine Al-Bustami as Lucy Tara, and Tori Anderson as Kate Whistler. Additionally, LL Cool J began reprising his NCIS: Los Angeles role as Sam Hanna starting in season 2, perhaps as CBS’s attempt at enticing more people to watch NCIS: Hawai’i (and to tie the NCIS franchise further together). However, not even LL Cool J could save the spin-off, and fans must say goodbye to the Hawaii field office and its agents during the season 3 finale (aka the series finale).
Why Did CBS Cancel NCIS: Hawai’i After Season 3?
NCIS: Hawai’i season 4 was not meant to be, as CBS canceled the NCIS spin-off just ahead of its season 3 finale (giving the producers and writers no time to prepare for the end). The network didn’t get a concrete reason as to why the police procedural drama is ending, but it’s clear that numerous factors were considered in the decision. Even though, according to The Hollywood Reporter, NCIS: Hawai’i season 3 is averaging around 7.8 million viewers (and reaches 10 million viewers concerning cross-platform views), the ratings place the series in the middle of CBS’s shows.
Given [ NCIS: Hawai’i ‘s] sudden cancelation, the finale won’t give the characters and fans the closure they deserve.
The average ratings don’t impress CBS, but NCIS: Hawai’i’s massive budget also likely worked against it when the network decided its fate. The spin-off is filmed in Hawai’i, which isn’t cheap, and budget cuts were seemingly either impossible or weren’t enough to justify a renewal. Another possible reason behind NCIS: Hawai’i’s cancelation is its competition within the NCIS franchise. The original series is still going strong, NCIS: Sydney will debut its second season in the fall of 2024, and CBS has two more highly-anticipated NCIS shows coming soon — NCIS: Origins and an untitled Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David spin-off.
NCIS: Hawai’i Has More Story To Tell (& Was Something Different For The Franchise)
Although CBS may have a few arguments as to why NCIS: Hawai’i shouldn’t continue, the series is ending way too soon. The spin-off will be the shortest show in the NCIS franchise with only three seasons and 54 episodes, and it’s the first one to be led solely by a female, making its cancelation all the more disappointing. The series still has many more unique stories and is arguably much better than NCIS: Sydney. Plus, given the sudden cancelation, the finale won’t give the characters and fans the closure they deserve. Nevertheless, the remaining episodes of NCIS: Hawai’i season 3 are:
