NCIS: Hawai’i Bosses Break Silence on April Surprise (‘It Still Stings’), Tease What Season 4 Might’ve Been (Exclusive)
NCIS: Hawai’i co-showrunners Jan Nash, Christopher Silber and Matt Bosack are ready to talk about the island drama’s unfortunate fate.
It was on April 26 that TVLine reported that NCIS: Hawai’i, despite growing its audience in Season 3, would not be back for a fourth season. Very soon afterwards, the series’ cast members one by one weighed in on the cancellation, while Nash and Silber chose radio silence — “obviously surprised” as they were by CBS’ decision.
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After all, NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 had averaged 7.8 million total viewers and a 0.5 demo rating (with Live+7 playback data), up 4% in viewers vs. Season 2 (but down a tick in the demo). Out of the 14 drama series that CBS aired during the 2023-24 TV season, it ranked No. 6 in total audience (behind Tracker, NCIS, FBI, Blue Bloods and The Equalizer) and eighth in the demo.
TVLine readers gave the unplanned series finale an average grade of “B.”
Explaining the cancellation decision back in May, CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach said that NCIS: Hawai’i, amongst other ended shows, was a casualty of a drama slate that was simply too robust.
“We had to make some really tough choices this year,” she said. “Everything came back [from the Hollywood strikes] really strong, but ultimately we have to look at the cohesiveness of the schedule flow. We have to evaluate the financials and the performance overall, and we make tough decisions.”
Sources tell TVLine that while there were “talks” about finding another home for the series, that didn’t pan out.”
Ending a three-month silence on the matter, NCIS: Hawai’i co-showrunners Nash, Silber and Bosack agreed to an exclusive, joint email Q&A with TVLine, seen below.
TVLINE | On a scale of 1 to 10, how surprised were you back in April? And how are you feeling about things now, three months later?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | We were obviously surprised. If we’d known it was coming, we probably wouldn’t have ended the series on a cliffhanger. The fact that the studio and the network didn’t stop us makes it seem like they might not have seen it coming either. We loved our show and know other people loved it, too, but the TV business is a fickle mistress and one can’t take business decisions personally. But it still stings.
TVLINE | What are you most proud of having accomplished over the three seasons?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | We did what we set out to do. We created a show with a strong female lead and a cast that reflected the diversity of Hawai’i and the world. We told interesting Navy crime stories. All while maintaining a workplace where people could hopefully do their best work and be valued for it. That gives us a lot to be proud of.
TVLINE | Obviously, adding Sam Hanna was a crowd-pleaser — and your viewership in fact grew a few percentage points in Season 3. Was that crossover something you sought out amid NCIS: LA ending, or was it pitched to you by higher-ups?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | The idea of Sam joining our show was pitched by the studio/network after LA ended. We were fully on-board, both because Sam was a great character, but also because LL COOL J is a wonderful human. The chemistry he shared with our amazing lead, Vanessa Lachey, was so compelling, we had hoped to keep it going for many seasons to come.
TVLINE | Turning to how the season finale ended, what can you say about the next words coming out of Maggie Shaw’s mouth? Did it have to do with Jane’s mom, teased earlier in the season?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | While not fully fleshed out, we had a general idea of where the Maggie story was going. It would have eventually intersected with Jane Tennant’s mother, but it was also going to move back into the dark world of Tennant’s spy past, using those stories to increase our understanding of who Jane was, but also to learn more about her team in the process
TVLINE | Was Lucy and Kate’s brief talk of weddings going to be revisited – perhaps pointedly — in Season 4?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | We hadn’t fully landed on what was going to happen in Season 4. But there would have been some movement. Whether it would have been a wedding, meeting families, or some other thing, we didn’t know.
TVLINE | In Season 4 might we have finally met Jesse’s wife and other kid? Or was the wife your “Vera from Cheers“?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | We started every season planning to meet her and she would have shown up eventually. (Hope springs eternal.)
TVLINE | Was there any other story or personal runner you couldn’t get to in the short Season 3 that was going to be a “must” during a full Season 4? For example, meeting some of Lucy’s family, keeping Peyton List around as Kai’s love interest, anything for Ernie or Carla or Joe or Boom-Boom… what have you.
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | We loved our repertoire of characters and we would have kept using them as much as we could. We were talking about Tennant’s mom and Ernie’s ex-wife, but other than following up on our cliffhanger, there were no “musts” on the list. Our goals every season were the same: tells good stories with these great actors.
TVLINE | Was there any character you were excited to add in Season 4?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | See above.
TVLINE | Would it please you to see any of your characters resurface on any of the remaining or upcoming NCIS shows?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | The NCIS universe is an amazing place and it would be wonderful if any of our characters continued in it.
TVLINE | The #SaveNCISHawaii campaign valiantly marches on, with such passion from that heartbroken ohana. What’s your message to them?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | It’s pretty simple… thank you. We loved our show, and the fact that so many other people loved it too is gratifying. They were the greatest fans we’d ever experienced on a show. And we share their passion and heartbreak. We are grateful that we got to be a worldwide ohana for as long as we did.
Want scoop on any NCIS series ? Email [email protected], and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line!
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