‘NCIS: Hawai’i’: When Will Production Start on the Aloha State Spinoff?
NCIS: Hawai’i has been announced as the latest spinoff in the popular CBS franchise. Set at NCIS: Pearl on the island of Oahu in Hawai’i, the series will star Vanessa Lachey as Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant.
Other details have started to emerge in recent weeks now that the network has confirmed the new series. Here’s what we know so far about production and premiere dates for the Aloha State spinoff.
The executive producers of ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ are coming from ‘NCIS: New Orleans’
When the news first broke that NCIS: Hawai’i was in development, it came on the heels of the announcement that CBS was canceling NCIS: New Orleans after seven seasons. At the time, insiders revealed that NOLA executive producers Christopher Silber and Jan Nash would be moving on to the Aloha State spinoff.
SEAL Team writer and supervising producer Matt Bosack will also be part of the NCIS: Hawaii production team. The network has hired Larry Teng to direct the pilot, and they’ve also staffed the writers room.
The Aloha State spinoff will have a female lead
Lachey has been cast in the role of NCIS: Hawai’i lead character Jane Tennant. She will be on the top of the call sheet like her counterparts: NCIS’ Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), NCIS: Los Angeles’ Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and Sam Hanna (LL Cool J), and NCIS: New Orleans’ Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula).
In addition to Lachey, CBS has also cast Yasmine Al-Bustami as Lucy, a junior member of Tennant’s NCIS team. The third confirmed cast member is Jason Antoon who will play the role of Ernie, an NCIS Cyber Intelligence Specialist and Hawaii expert. NCIS: Hawai’i has also cast Noah Mills in the role of Jesse, a former homicide detective who is Tennant’s confidante.
‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ begins production in June 2021
According to a tweet from Reel News Hawaii, production lists have been updated, and filming for NCIS: Hawai’i is slated to begin in early June on the island of Oahu. CBS already has an extensive production base there thanks to Hawaii: Five-0, which ran for 10 seasons.
Currently, the network has the Magnum P.I. reboot shooting in Hawai’i, which could possibly set up future crossovers with NCIS: Hawai’i.
The real-life Naval Criminal Investigative Service actually has a field office at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on the Island of Oahu. In 2012, NCIS: Los Angeles filmed a crossover with Hawaii Five-0 on the Hickman tarmac.
The spinoff will have a Monday night time slot
With NCIS: New Orleans canceled and NCIS: Hawai’i joining the CBS prime time lineup, the network has made some huge scheduling changes for the 2021-2022 TV season. They’ve announced that the spinoff will air on Monday nights at 10:00 pm (EST), just after the flagship series, NCIS.
CBS has taken NCIS out of its traditional Tuesday night time slot and moved it to a new night for the first time in nearly two decades. NCIS: Los Angeles will remain in its Sunday night 9:00 pm (EST) time slot for season 13.
The star of ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ can’t believe she landed the role
CBS recently gave fans their first look at Lachey as Tennant with a 90-second trailer. In the video, she says her character is a single mom who is juggling her career and home life.
“My character Jane Tennant is Special Agent in Charge of NCIS. She’s the mother of a 15-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. And, that is real life. Juggling life, and love, and work,” Lachey said.
The actor told her 882K Instagram followers that she was surprised that she landed the role, and she thanked CBS for believing in her.
“Honored is an understatement!” Lachey wrote. “To join the NCIS franchise as the first female lead and to do it on the Beautiful Islands of Hawai’i… I still can’t believe it! Thank You CBS for believing in me! Now let’s get to work! #NCISHawaii 👊🏽🌴”
NCIS: Hawai’i will premiere this fall on CBS.
