NCIS: Hawaii will end on a cliffhanger but will the story still satisfy fans?

It’s bad enough that NCIS: Hawaii is ending too soon. But now it sounds like it will have a cliffhanger to boot! Is there any chance for closure for the series?

The last hopes of NCIS: Hawaii fans were dashed when CBS announced their 2024-25 schedule and refused to reverse the shocking cancellation of the spinoff. Despite great ratings and a strong fan following, the show was canceled after three seasons, mostly due to budget issues and some behind-the-scenes turmoil at Paramount Global. 

Speaking to Variety, CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach shared how this was a business decision.

"It is incumbent on us to always keep the schedule fresh, keep momentum going. We had to make some really tough choices this year.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."

In other words, because of the budget and new shows coming, CBS decided to end a hit series with a major fanbase. Fans aren’t happy by this and even less so as star Vanessa Lachey shared an Instagram post that hints that Season 3 ends on a cliffhanger. 

"As I sat here today, knowing our show is over, I turned to [the ocean] again [asking] what do we do now. She answered with ease. Just as the air hits the water & the water hits the land, the waves connect to the shore, some with a huge impact, then… it goes back out. You see… we aren’t meant to be here forever, we are on borrowed time. We appreciate what was given to us for our use, we nurture it and then we leave it better for the next dreamer. I wish we had more time, I’m sorry we don’t. I wish we had a proper good-bye, I’m sorry we didn’t. I know we ALL are connected deeper than any TV show.”"

It's obvious the showrunners were as blindsided by the cancellation news as fans were. That means they weren't able to craft some sort of backup finale or even prepare for this to truly be the end. The first part had the team hunting a bio-weapon that put several team members in danger.

This sets up the May 6 finale, which is now the series finale, so can this be truly it? If it is, can it be satisfying for fans to see what could have been?

Can NCIS: Hawaii find closure?

CBS’ new 2024-25 schedule has confirmed NCIS: Hawaii won’t be back as the Gibbs prequel show NCIS: Origins slides into its slot. This means that if Season 3 does indeed end on a cliffhanger, the chances of resolution are tricky.

The most likely possibility would be an episode of the main NCIS series explaining what happened. The best case? The team helps the Hawaii crew out of whatever jam they got into and gives the characters a good final boost. It’d be nice to see some sort of sendoff for the Hawaii team, still ready for the challenges ahead while getting along well.

Then again, at best, it’s also possible we just get Tennant popping in for a video cameo and an offhand line on what occurred. In short, it would be a brush-off for not just the finale but NCIS: Hawaii itself and nowhere near satisfying. It’s a strange situation for a show so great in the ratings to be canceled when the producers clearly were expecting another season.

The chances of another network or streamer taking the series on are very low, given CBS owns the NCIS franchise and is unlikely to lend it out. The lack of a syndication deal of any sort is also a blow, so a full series revival doesn’t seem to be happening.

It’d be wonderful if the NCIS producers make up for CBS’ idiocy by giving the Hawaii crew a proper sendoff and providing closure for fans via an episode. But the fact is, it looks like this show is going to end on an unresolved cliffhanger which is yet another reason to be upset about NCIS: Hawaii’s unceremonious end.

NCIS: Hawaii series finale airs Monday at 10/9c on CBS.