‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Is the Perfect Step Forward for the CBS Franchise

NCIS: Hawai’i, the third offshoot of the original NCIS on CBS, follows leader Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and her dedicated team — Lucy Tara (Yasmine Al-Bustami), Jesse Boone (Noah Mills), Kai Holman (Alex Tarrant), and Ernie Malik (Jason Antoon) — as they, you guessed it, work to solve crimes involving naval officers. Along the way, they deal with the issues arising in their personal lives, like Jane’s struggles with her teenage, technically-an-adult son Alex (Kian Talan), Kai reconnecting with his sick father Wally (Moses Goods), and Lucy’s ongoing relationship with FBI Special Agent Kate Whistler (Tori Anderson). All the while, they continue to do their best to solve every case and ensure the safety of Hawai’i… and sometimes the entire world. While the series follows much of the same path as its predecessors, it has managed to once again revive the long-standing franchise with a variety of factors, proving itself to be the perfect next step forward for the growing CBS universe. These factors include the team, which is honestly one of the most exciting teams with incredible synergy to be assembled in the history of procedural television (in this writer’s humble opinion), and the unique setting that already separates it from just about everything else we are seeing on TV.

Every Member of the ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Team Is Equal

One aspect that really stands out on NCIS: Hawai’i is everyone’s near equal standing on the team. On the flagship series, it very much felt like Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and his team, but those members were never able to stand out as much. NCIS: Los Angeles has a different vibe, but doesn’t stray too much. However, on Hawai’i, it very much feels like Jane works with her team. She is undeniably the leader, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t feel like the series has to constantly remind us of this. It is intrinsic in the show’s formula and how cases are written, but they are all on equal footing when it comes to solving the cases at-hand. Sure, the series begins with the other members of the team poking fun at newcomer Kai’s expense, but this doesn’t last very long at all, and he immediately feels like a vital member of the team. Overall, the dynamic as a team works better than it does on most procedurals, which is very interesting as the series has only just started their second season on CBS. Things fell into place rather quickly, which could be attributed to this being the third spinoff in the franchise, but seems more likely due to thoughtful writing and great chemistry between the cast.

This also makes Jane stand out in the universe, too, and tees her up to be arguably the best leader we’ve seen thus far. (Yes, even better than Gibbs.) Jane already is a fan-favorite, to no surprise, and this is partially due to the subtle power underneath Jane’s empathy and decision-making that surely comes from Lachey’s layered performance. It’s also quite a breath of fresh air to see a woman in charge, particularly a woman of color who has proven herself tenfold at every step of her career to end up in this position. As the first Asian-American lead in the NCIS franchise, it’s beautiful to watch how much thought and care is put into Jane, both in her career and her personal life, on a weekly basis. The difference in how Jane handles her team versus the other leaders of the NCIS shows only helps Jane to shine and stand on her own.

In addition, the dynamics between each of the members of the team are well-developed as well, something that usually falls to the wayside in favor of pushing the entire team as a whole to the forefront of the series. From the beginning, each of these individual dynamics has been fleshed out beautifully. For example, Lucy looking to Jane as a mentor for comfort and reassurance has given viewers an interesting glimpse into both characters, especially as we saw a comparable dynamic in the first 13 episodes where Jane looked to her former mentor Maggie Shaw (Julie White) for something similar. The relationship with Jesse and Lucy, something of a brother-and-sister type dynamic full of love and teasing fun, also stands out, taking the team aspect a step further and ensuring we see that this is a family. Even with Kai and Ernie, though we don’t see them one-on-one nearly as much as we should, Ernie’s playfulness counters Kai’s serious nature so perfectly. Each individual on the team is complemented by everyone else around them, which is so incredibly rare.

Whistler also adds an interesting element as the FBI liaison assisting NCIS with their investigations, even though she may not technically be on the NCIS team. But, one of the more compelling factors that helps the series stand out is Whistler and Lucy’s romance, which never fails to get its time in the spotlight. Already, after only one season, it’s easy to say that this romance is one of the best LGBTQ+ romances on-screen. It is treated with sincerity and respect, written as one of the major aspects that make NCIS: Hawai’i what it is, while still ultimately helping both characters to grow as both individuals and in their careers. Unfortunately, it’s unusual to see LGBTQ+ relationships handled with such careful hands on network television, so this has also really helped to boost the NCIS franchise and the show on its own forward.