NCIS: Hawai’i season 1: how to watch and everything else you need to know

Jason Antoon, Noah Mills and Vanessa Lachey in NCIS: Hawai'i
(Image credit: CBS)

The NCIS franchise has slowly been moving its way westward with its spinoffs and with NCIS: Hawai’i they’ve gone as far west as you can get within the US. The new spinoff keeps the CBS crime franchise as a trio as it replaced NCIS: New Orleans and joins the original NCIS, on-air since 2003, and NCIS: Los Angeles.

NCIS: Hawai’i is executive produced and written by NCIS: New Orleans vets Christopher Silber and Jan Nash, along with Matt Bosack, who previously worked on another CBS property, SEAL Team.

Here is what we know so far about NCIS: Hawai’i.

When is the next NCIS: Hawai'i episode?

The NCIS: Hawai'i season 1 is here, airing on CBS on Monday, May 23, at 10 pm ET/PT The second part of a two-part story line, here is the synopsis for the episode, tiled "Ohana":

"Captain Milius continues to work with Tennant and her team in the aftermath of the prisoner exchange between the U.S. and eastern Europe. Also, Whistler takes Ernie’s advice and makes a grand gesture in the hope of winning Lucy back."

Watch the promo right here:

NCIS: Hawai'i has its new episodes made available to stream on Paramount Plus following their broadcast airings, as well as available to watch online on CBS.com.

Will there be an NCIS: Hawai'i season 2?

More NCIS: Hawai'i is on the way, as CBS has officially announced that the show has been renewed for a second season that debuts in the fall of 2022. NCIS: Hawai'i is going to air once again on Mondays at 10 pm ET/PT, following NCIS.

What is the premise of NCIS: Hawai’i?

NCIS stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Like its predecessors, NCIS: Hawai'i will follow the team stationed in a particular area of the country; this time it is the beautiful islands of Hawai’i.

More specifically, NCIS: Hawai’i takes place as Jane Tennant is appointed the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor. She and her team must balance their duties as NCIS agents, their family lives and the mysteries of the island itself.

Who is in the NCIS: Hawai’i cast?

The role of Jane Tennant is being played by Vanessa Lachey, whose past credits include a three-episode run on Call Me Kat, Dads, a host of Lifetime movies and even a previous trip to the islands with a role on Hawaii Five-0.

Other members of the NCIS: Hawai’i team will include Yasmine Al-Bustami (The Originals, Nashville) as Lucy, Tori Anderson (Blindspot) as Kate Whistler, Jason Antoon (Claws, Minority Report) as Ernie and Noah Mills as Jesse.

Are there NCIS: Hawai'i reviews?

The first word on the NCIS spinoff comes from The USA Today, essentially describing it as a serviceable outing that combines the best of NCIS and Hawai'i Five-O.

Giving it two-and-a-half out of four stars, reviewer Kelly Lawler says the cast, which differs itself from its predecessors with a female lead and more diverse team, and the gorgeous settings are about the only breaks from format, but it all still results in an enjoyable package.

Variety, in its review, essentially backed that up - you know what your getting with NCIS: Hawai'i, just wrapped in a different package.

How to watch NCIS: Hawai'i

CBS is one of the four major broadcast networks, meaning that it is very easy to tune in to watch NCIS: Hawai'i on the network. A traditional cable/satellite pay-TV subscription will get you access to the network as all providers are required to carry CBS. A TV antenna can also pick up viewers local CBS station.

Other options include a live TV streaming service, including Fubo TVHulu with Live TV and YouTube, all of which carry CBS with their basic subscription package.

Also, as mentioned above, the latest episodes of NCIS: Hawai'i will be available to stream for anyone subscribed to Paramount Plus the day after it airs on broadcast TV.

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.