Tori Anderson and Vanessa Lachey standing in front of the ocean on 'NCIS Hawai'i'

Will ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Return in 2023? What We Know About Season 3

CBS has renewed 'NCIS: Hawai'i' for season 3, but there's no premiere date for the new season. Plus, find out which 'NCIS' alum will appear in season 3.

by Megan Elliott

Published on November 11, 2023

2 min read

‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Season 3 is coming to CBS

Henry Ian Cusick and Vanessa Lachey standing in an office in 'NCIS: Hawai'i'

NCIS: Hawai’i is the third series in the NCIS universe. It premiered in 2021 and stars Vanessa Lachey as Jane Tennant, the agent in charge of a team of Hawai’i-based NCIS investigators. A second season premiered in 2022. In February 2023, CBS confirmed that NCIS: Hawai’i would return for season 3.

When will ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Season 3 premiere?

New episodes of NCIS: Hawai’i were originally supposed to start airing in fall 2023. However, the now-resolved WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes forced CBS to make some major changes to its schedule. With writers and actors both unable to work for months, release dates for scripted series like NCIS: Hawai’i were delayed indefinitely.

The WGA strike ended in early October and SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative deal with the major Hollywood studios on Nov. 8. While NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 doesn’t yet have a premiere date, the show’s writers are already back at work, according to TVLine, which means production should begin soon.

Depending on how things play out, new episodes of NCIS: Hawai’i may begin airing on CBS sometime in early 2024. According to Deadline, network dramas such as NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i, and Chicago P.D. would be able to get back on the air by March 2024 if the SAG-AFTRA strike ended by mid-November.

What to expect from ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Season 3

LL Cool J talking on the phone and looking through a telescope on 'NCIS: Hawai'i'

NCIS: Hawai’i Season 2 ended with Jane Tennant springing her former mentor (and spy) Maggie (Julie White) from jail. That led to a shootout, during which Maggie escaped. The events could have a big impact on Jane’s career, which will likely be explored in season 3. The two-part season 2 finale also introduced Supervisory Agent John Swift (Henry Ian Cusick) from the Office of Special Projects. His job is to handle “grey-area cases,” like Tennant’s involvement in the murder of an ex-MI6 agent. Sources told TVLine that Cusick’s role was open-ended, which means we may see more of him in season 3.

The NCIS: Hawai’i Season 2 finale also featured a surprise appearance from LL Cool J as Sam Hanna. The NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles character showed up to help Tennant in Venezuela, setting the stage for future appearances in NCIS: Hawai’i. He’ll have a recurring role in season 3, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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