How would have NCIS: Hawai'i season 4 been like? Showrunners break silence after cancelation

Despite its rising popularity and growing fanbase, NCIS: Hawai'i, reported in April 2024 that the series won't return with a fourth season. CBS's decision to not renew the show came as a shock for many, as the third season of the series had averaged 7.8 million total viewers and a 0.5 demo rating, as well as a 4% increase in viewers compared to the second installment.

Moreover, the crime procedural show ranked sixth in total audience, among all 14 drama series CBS aired during the 2023-24 TV season. After two months of silence, NCIS: Hawai'i co-showrunners Jan Nash, Christopher Silber and Matt Bosack have come forward to talk about the show's fate and what fans can expect regarding the future of the series.

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Showrunners break silence on cancelation of NCIS: Hawai'i

Showrunners Jan Nash, Christopher Silber and Matt Bosack have broken their silence on the sudden cancelation of NCIS: Hawai'i. In an interview with TV Line, they said:

“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.”

It continued:

"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.”

There were even talks about finding the show a new home, but that didn't come to fruition.

The decision of cancelation taken by CBS was explained by CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach who said that NCIS: Hawai'i was just another casualty of a drama slate that was simply too robust. Her statement read:

“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.”

Any hope for reviving NCIS: Hawai'i owing to the tremendous support pouring in for the series was shot down by Reisenbach in May during a network event.

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How would NCIS: Hawai'i have been like if the series was not canceled?

Talking about the show and what the futures of the characters would have been like had CBS not canceled it, the showrunners said that they would have loved to use the existing characters to propel the plot forward and tell good stories with the help of great actors.

One aspect of the show fans were invested in was Lucy and Kate's brief talks of weddings.

Commenting on it, they have said that while there's no exact idea of what would have been the fate of the two, there were plans to move their story forward in season four. There were apparently also plans to finally meet Jesse’s wife and child.

Meanwhile, while it was not fully known where Maggie Shaw's story was going in the series, the showrunners commented that her story would have intersected with Jane Tennant’s mother.

The showrunners have concluded with some hope, saying that as NCIS is a huge and growing franchise, it would be wonderful if any characters from NCIS: Hawai’i could continue their story in some other series of the franchise.

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NCIS: Hawai’i follows Special Agent Jane Tennant and her team as they work together to solve crimes and bring justice to Hawaii. Catch the three seasons of the crime procedural streaming on the CBS streaming platform.