Canceling NCIS: Hawaii is a mistake CBS needs to walk back

Updated: May 1, 2024 - CBS made a huge mistake canceling NCIS: Hawaii, and both fans and the show's cast are letting them have it! Reversing this cancellation is something the network has to consider!

Every year, there's a big shocking TV cancellation that gets viewers up in arms. This year, it's easily NCIS: Hawaii. The announcement that the show was ending after three seasons was bad enough, but it's also because there's little real justification for it. The ratings are still great, with it ranking #12 among non-sports network shows and having a strong online play. Also, the fact that it's part of CBS's biggest franchise seemed to indicate that renewal was a safe bet.

Instead, the show is ending due to the shakeups at CBS and Paramount Global and budget cuts. This combines with two planned NCIS spin-offs, a "young Gibbs" series and a Tony/Ziva show. For those to get a green light with NCIS: Hawaii ending (and quite likely on a cliffhanger) is making fans even angrier. It's not unlike the outrage when CBS canceled SWAT last May. The backlash was so great that CBS reversed course just 48 hours later to renew the show. Then, they doubled up this year by announcing that SWAT would get a season 8. 

One hope is that CBS might do the same with NCIS: Hawaii, especially given the rough optics involved. Here's why!

NCIS: Hawaii had great representation

There's no denying the optics of canceling NCIS: Hawaii look bad. This was, after all, the first NCIS show headlined by a female agent, with Vanessa Lachey terrific as team leader Jane Tennant. The show did a wonderful job showing Jane taking charge and fighting the workplace politics as much as the bad guys.

Thus, axing a show with a female lead isn't a good look. Lachey talked on Instagram about being "Gutted, confused, blindsided," by the news. She clearly loved the role so to have it ending like this is a blow to her as well as those enjoying the part.

Then there's the reaction to fans of "Kacy," the relationship between NCIS agent Lucy Tara (Yasmine Al-Bustami) and FBI liaison Kate Whistler (Tori Anderson). According to TVLine, NCIS: Hawaii is notable for being the first series in the franchise to launch with an LGBTQ+ agent. When viewers were introduced to her romantic storyline with Kate, they fell in love and the two became a beloved couple. The show has done a beautiful job on their relationship, and to end one of the few mainstream lesbian couples on TV is terrible. 

Anderson agreed in some social media posts on how it felt to lose such representation. 

"Having a really hard time processing this one. Thank you to our incredible crew, who made every single day feel like I was living a dream. I want to say thank you to all the fans. My heart breaks for you as well. This is a huge loss for representation…Thank you to the creators Chris Silber, Jan Nash and Matt Bosack for trusting me with Kate. Thank you for creating a show where representation genuinely mattered. And thank you to our fearless leader Vanessa Lachey for building a work environment most people only dream of.""

It's hard to find a network show that's treated a LGBTQ+ romance with such heart and care so that's among the many reasons to be annoyed at NCIS: Hawaii being canceled. 

NCIS: Hawaii was clicking in storytelling

Despite the delay because of the 2023 Hollywood strikes, season 3 was showing strong work. The addition of Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) sparked up the series with he and Jane clashing a bit but respecting each other. The plots were still sharp and fun, and the Hawaii location gave it an exotic air that set it apart from the other NCIS shows.

Setting the show in Hawaii gave it a fun vibe and there was still so much potential left for storytelling, using the island's rich history and culture alongside the ocean-set crimes. Given how long Hawaii Five-0 ran on CBS, this show surely could have matched it.

The cast has been chiming in with thoughts, with Jason Antoon (cyber expert Ernie) summing up, "This business is brutal and makes no sense. But we had soooo much fun." His real-life wife, Seana Kofod, who plays medical examiner Carla Chase, added, "We continue to believe in the power of creating great entertainment while representing the world in which we live."

The show seemed to be building to a big two-part finale that likely would have set up more excitement in season 4. The possibility this is another case of a TV show being canceled on a cliffhanger is also worrying and would make the axing even worse. 

For a franchise to celebrate its 1000th episode and then ax one of the reasons it got to that landmark is also a bad look. The fact is, there was no logical reason to cancel a show still incredibly popular, with a huge fan base and part of a network's biggest franchise. The cast and creators clearly wanted it to continue as much as the legions of fans and surely CBS could use all the hits they could get. 

It's hopeful CBS can reverse course as they did with SWAT and give NCIS: Hawaii another season, even with a lower episode count and budget. The representation alone should be a major draw and the cast is passionate for it to continue. It just adds up to how axing NCIS: Hawaii just as the show was hitting its prime is one of CBS' dumber recent moves. 

Correction note: When this piece first ran it included the statement that Lucy Tara is the first out LGBTQ+ agent in NCIS history. It has been corrected. The distinction belongs to Agent Ned Dorneget, played by Matt Jones. The character made his first appearance in NCIS season 9.

NCIS: Hawaii season 3 airs Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.