A veteran NCIS actor reacts to the cancellation of NCIS: Hawai’i, pointing to the franchise’s history as a sign that the spinoff could continue.
A veteran NCIS actor reacts to the cancellation of NCIS: Hawai’i, expressing hope that the characters on that show will return. Premiering on CBS in September 2021, the story centered on a team of Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents working out of the Pearl Harbor Field Office. Led by Special Agent Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey), the Hawaii team investigates crimes with connections to the military and national security. The spinoff also starred Alex Tarrant, Noah Mills, Yasmine Al-Bustami, Jason Antoon, Tori Anderson, and Kian Talan.
During an interview with TV Insider, Rocky Carroll reacted to the news that NCIS: Hawai’i season 4 won’t be happening. Carroll, who has played Leon Vance since NCIS season 5, admitted that he was shocked by the decision CBS made to cancel the spinoff. In the quote below, Carroll expresses hope that the characters played by Lachey and others could still appear on other shows and points out how different characters have crossed over in the past:
I was shocked. Less than two weeks ago, I was doing a talk show with Vanessa Lachey and LL COOL J. We were all sitting around celebrating being a part of the NCIS universe. You never know what the motivating factors are, but I’m hoping that those characters, because we still have the mothership as we call it, we still have NCIS: Sydney, and who knows, those characters may turn up. I mean, LL COOL J’s character came from Los Angeles and was in Hawai’i. So who’s to say that Vanessa Lachey’s character wouldn’t show up somewhere in the NCIS universe again?
Why Was NCIS: Hawai’i Canceled?
The Show Brought In Good Ratings, But CBS Has A Packed Schedule
NCIS: Hawai’i was not canceled primarily because of its ratings performance. On the contrary, the spinoff garnered a reliable audience. It ranked as the twelfth most-watched non-sports program. It averages 7.8 million viewers, which grows to 10 million when taking multi-platform viewership over 35 days into account. According to reporting, the cancellation came down to CBS’ packed primetime schedule, cost-cutting, and uncertainty regarding the future of Paramount Global and whether the parent company of CBS might be sold.
In addition to NCIS: Sydney, which has been renewed for season 2, and the upcoming spinoff centered on Gibbs, the NCIS franchise also has a Tony and Ziva spinoff that’s moving forward at Paramount+. Beyond that, CBS has five new scripted series for the forthcoming 2024-2025 broadcast television season. Those include the Matlock reboot starring Kathy Bates, a Young Sheldon spinoff, the Sherlock-related drama Watson, the comedy Poppa’s House, and the Gibbs-focused NCIS: Origins. That goes along with returning shows like the crime comedy Elsbeth.
NCIS: Hawai’i is the first spinoff in the franchise to end without a proper finale.
This meant that CBS had to make choices about which shows to cancel and which to keep, leading to NCIS: Hawai’i getting axed. The decision reportedly came down to the last minute, with discussions about reducing the budget as a potential path to renewal. However, CBS opted to free up more space for newer shows. Nonetheless, as Carroll mentions, Vanessa Lachey could still be back as Jane Tennant as part of the larger franchise.
