The NCIS franchise has been wildly successful for CBS, so much so that a few spinoff series have been created, including NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Hawaii.
As the original series prepared for its 21st season, the latest spinoff series, NCIS Hawaii, also geared up for a new set of episodes.
The Hawaii installment launched in 2021 and made history as the first NCIS series to feature a female lead. Vanessa Lachey plays Jane Tennant, the first woman special agent leading the charge in Pearl Harbor.
Lachey shared a post on Instagram when her role was announced and detailed how honored she was to play the character, signing off the post with, “Now let’s get to work!”
When the series first launched, the cast and crew participated in a traditional Hawaiian blessing on the island of Oahu. Following a successful first season, the show was picked up for a second, where fans have been put through the ups and downs of life of naval crime investigators working on the island.
Season 2 of NCIS: Hawaii ended in May 2023, and fans waiting to see where Agent Jane Tennant’s work left off rejoiced when the show returned for a third season on Feb. 12, 2024.
Here’s everything to know about NCIS: Hawaii season 3, including the release date, cast and other news.
When was NCIS: Hawaii renewed for season 3?
NCIS: Hawaii and the franchise’s original series, NCIS, were renewed for new seasons in February 2023.
When was the NCIS: Hawaii season 3 release date?
NCIS: Hawaii premiered on Feb. 12, 2024, and new episodes air on Monday nights at 10 p.m. ET.
Who is in the NCIS: Hawaii season 3 cast?
Viewers can expect to see Lachey return as Jane, with Noah Mills reprising his role as Jesse Boon, Yasmine Al-Bustami as Lucy Tara, Alex Tarrant as Kai Holman, Tori Anderson as Kathrine Marie Whistler and Jason Antoon as Ernie Malik.
Will any NCIS characters appear in season 3?
The season 2 finale featured a few stars from other NCIS entities, like Wilmer Valderrama from the original NCIS and LL Cool J of NCIS: Los Angeles.
For 14 seasons, LL Cool J played the character Sam Hanna and was a fan-favorite. His cameo on NCIS: Hawaii went over so well that he will be returning for season 3.
“All of us at ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ have been huge fans of LL Cool J for years and couldn’t be more thrilled or honored to be adding his spectacular talent to our ohana for season three,” executive producers Matt Bosack, Jan Nash and Christopher Silber told Variety.
Where did NCIS: Hawaii season 2 leave off?
In the show’s finale, Adrian Creel, a character from Jane’s (Vanessa Lachey) past, puts the whole NCIS: Hawaii crew in danger. Maggie (Julie White) and Jane thought they had previously killed him with a car bomb, but he was alive and looking for revenge.
By the end of the finale episode, Adrian would be killed — for real this time — by Maggie. However, an Easter egg in the episode showed that the NCIS team may not be safe come season 3.
There was also a crossover episode between all three of the shows in the NCIS franchise that left off with Jane and Kate (Tori Anderson) under attack in Venezuela.
Although he was last seen in the Moroccan desert during the series finale of NCIS: Los Angeles, Sam (LL Cool J) helped the women.