Summary

• Characters from NCIS: Hawai'i could cross over to other NCIS shows following the show's cancelation.
• Jane Tennant's story should continue beyond Hawai'i's abrupt finale for a satisfying closure.
• CBS likely canceled NCIS: Hawai'i due to production costs and subaverage ratings.

Vanessa Lachey's Jane Tennant, Alex Tarrant's Kai Holman, Noah Mills' Jesse Boone, and more may not get the closure they deserve (and NCIS: Hawai'i's overarching story won't get a satisfying ending).

The series finale of NCIS: Hawai'i, "Divided We Conquer," airs on Monday, May 6, at 10 pm ET.

Christopher Silber, Jan Nash, and Matt Bosack created NCIS: Hawai'i, which serves as the fourth installment in the NCIS franchise, and it premiered on September 20, 2021. Since its pilot episode, the CBS drama has performed somewhat consistently concerning its ratings, averaging around 5 million viewers with each episode. However, those numbers evidently did not impress the network. Ultimately, NCIS: Hawai'i was canceled before season 4, meaning viewers have to prematurely say goodbye to the characters (unless they cross over to a different show).

Rocky Carroll Is Right: NCIS Should Bring Back Vanessa Lachey After Hawai'i's "Shock" Cancelation

Jane Tennant Deserves To Continue Her Story

Following the news of NCIS: Hawai'i's cancelation, Rocky Carroll, who stars as Director Leon Vance in NCIS, expressed his shock at the spin-off's ending during an interview with TV Insider. The actor said:

"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?"

Carroll is on to something here, as it would be plausible for some of the NCIS: Hawai'i finale ends on a cliffhanger.

As the first female lead in the franchise, Jane is one of the most significant characters in the NCIS universe and deserves more than three seasons of development. Plus, Jane's storyline with her mother likely won't be further explored because CBS canceled NCIS: Hawai'i, which is quite disappointing. Hopefully, the series finale won't be the last time fans see Lachey's character.

NCIS: Hawai'i's Characters Still Have Potential Despite The Show's Cancelation

Other NCIS Characters Have Returned After Their Shows Were Canceled

If any NCIS: Hawai'i actors transfer to NCIS or NCIS: Sydney following the series finale, it wouldn't be the first time a star has done so. Most notably, LL Cool J reprised his role as Sam Hanna from NCIS: Los Angeles (which ended in 2023 after 14 seasons) in NCIS: Hawai'i seasons 2 and 3. It would make sense if Vanessa Lachey continued playing her NCIS character in one of the shows that has been renewed. However, Lachey is not the only actor who could and should return in a different series once CBS airs the series finale.

[NCIS: Hawai'i] accumulated average ratings for CBS, so executives didn't want to pay an excessive amount of money to continue an NCIS spin-off that didn't perform well compared to other shows on the network.

Other stars like Noah Mills, Alex Tarrant, Yasmine Al-Bustami, Tori Anderson, and Jason Antoon may reprise their roles in NCIS or NCIS: Sydney. All their characters have more to offer, and three seasons (and only 54 episodes) isn't enough time for characters to fully develop on a procedural series. Of course, they can't all return, and if Al-Bustami crosses over to another show, Anderson will also have to, and vice versa. Only time will tell if any of these actors get to play their NCIS: Hawai'i characters again, though.

Why Was NCIS: Hawai'i Canceled After Season 3?

CBS Likely Canceled NCIS: Hawai'i Because Of Production Costs & Ratings

When CBS announced that NCIS: Hawai'i had been canceled, they didn't provide a reason for the series ending. Nevertheless, a few obvious factors likely contributed to the network's decision. Since the crime drama was filmed in Hawai'i, production costs probably played a role in the show's cancelation. The series also accumulated average ratings for CBS, so executives didn't want to pay an excessive amount of money to continue an NCIS spin-off that didn't perform well compared to other shows on the network. Lastly, two more NCIS spin-offs are in the works, meaning that CBS felt comfortable edging out NCIS: Hawai'i.

Source: TV Insider