After two long seasons behind it, NCIS’s spin-off series, NCIS: Hawai’i returns for another, action-packed third season this February. Based on CBS’s legacy show NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i is created by Christopher Silber, Jan Nash, and Matt Bosack, who also serve as writers and executive producers for the series. Set in the titular island state, the police procedural drama series, NCIS: Hawai’i follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at the agency’s Pearl Harbor Field Office. Led by Special Agent in Charge, Jane Tennant, the first woman in her position in NCIS history, the team investigates crimes and felonies related to military and national security.
NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 will pick up from where Season 2 left off. By the end of the second season, Tennant’s past returns to haunt her as she becomes a prime suspect in the death of a former MI6 agent. She goes to extreme lengths to prove her innocence and catch the real killer, with the help of her CIA mentor and friend, who ends up becoming a fugitive by the end of the season. The third season will likely explore this arc and see Jane trying to track her friend down.
NCIS: Hawai’i marks the fourth series and the third spin-off in the NCIS franchise. Although the format is similar to the parent show and other spin-offs in the series, the tropical spin-off is not just a fun and thrilling crime series. It also brings a few new elements to the traditional procedural narrative and the exotic locales are just a small part of it. NCIS: Hawai’i is the first show in the franchise to be set outside the mainland United States and explore the sunny islands of Hawaii. This also paved the way for the franchise to launch its fifth series and fourth spin-off, NCIS: Sydney. But most importantly, NCIS: Hawai’i became a trailblazer for the franchise by introducing the first female lead in the history of NCIS, in the form of Jane Tennant. Tennant, played by Vanessa Lachey of Love is Blind fame, is a mother of two and the first female Supervisory Special Agent in the department’s history. Joining Lachey, other main cast members like Alex Tarrant, Noah Mills, Yasmine Al-Bustami, Jason Antoon, Tori Anderson, and Kian Talan, will also be reprising their roles. The third season will also see an interesting update in terms of the cast. LL Cool J who plays Sam Hanna, NCIS Senior Field Agent, Second in Command of the OSP in NCIS: Los Angeles and had a guest role in NCIS: Hawai’I Season 2, is returning as a series regular for the third season and probably further.
Premiered in September 2021, NCIS: Hawai’i has so far run for two seasons of 22 episodes each, and has gained ample traction within this time, owing to its diverse cast and a more refreshing setting than its predecessor and sister shows.
Here’s when, where, and how to watch and stream NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3.
Is NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 Premiering on TV?
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NCIS: Hawai’i, like the original series and other spin-offs in the franchise, is a CBS original and premiered on Monday, February 12, 2024, at 10 PM EST. Resuming its original Monday night slot, NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 will air right after the premiere of NCIS Season 21, which also returns on Mondays, at 9 PM EST.
On the same day, two more shows returned with their respective new seasons. The Neighbors Season 6, and the fifth and final season of Bob Hearts Abishola aired at their respective slots at 8pm EST.
Is NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 Streaming Online?
Image via CBS
In case you missed the season premiere on TV, or want to watch the procedural show cordless, you can stream NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 on Paramount Plus, the next day. All new episodes will drop on Paramount Plus after they air on CBS. For those yet to catch up on this NCIS tropical spin-off, you can watch the first two seasons of NCIS: Hawai’i, currently streaming on Paramount Plus.
For viewers in the UK, NCIS: Hawai’i is available on Disney Plus, where the all-new, third season is most likely going to be available in the coming days, so, stay tuned.
Can You Watch NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 Without Paramount+?
NCIS: Hawai’i is also available to watch without Paramount+. You can stream the show on Fubo, Direct TV, and Prime Video with Paramount+. However, all these platforms only have the first season of the series. The complete two seasons of the CBS original police procedural drama are only available to stream on Paramount+, and through Paramount+ on Apple TV. Alternatively, for more relaxed viewing, you can always buy NCIS: Hawai’i Season 1 and Season 2 on Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu. Amazon only has Season 1 for purchase.
Watch the Trailer for NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3
CBS released the official trailer of NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 through TV Line. In the new promo, we see Tennant still somewhat shaken from her distressing operation in Venezuela. But resolute as always, she is all set to get her mojo back at home, and there’s Senior Field Agent, Sam Hanna is to be partly thanked for that. Fans would surely be excited to see LL Cool J becoming a permanent fixture in the all-new third season of the procedural. And he’s most likely going to be around the tropical town for the coming seasons. Although the trailer of NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 is not very detailed and does not reveal a lot of the plot points, it does highlight some of the upcoming arcs, including new and exciting storylines for the dynamic duo – Kate (Anderson) and Lucy (Al-Bustami). Besides these key plot points, the third season of NCIS: Hawai’i will also be packed with more dangerous ops and risky assignments that include a lot of running, chasing, and firepower. But with Hanna on board full-time, the entire team, as strong as ever, will take on every danger with full gusto.
What’s the NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 Episode Schedule?
NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 is set to run shorter than its previous two seasons and is expected to have only 14 episodes, whereas seasons one and two had 22 episodes each. Following the season premiere, all new episodes of NCIS: Hawai’i will air weekly at their regular Monday night slots, and then stream on Paramount+ the day after.
Check out the episode details for NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 below:
Episode 1: "Run and Gun" – February 12, 2024
Episode 2: "Crash and Burn" – February 19, 2024
Episode 3: "License to Thrill" – February 26, 2024
Episode 4: March 4, 2024
Episode 5: March 11, 2024
Considering the above schedule, Episode 14 and the season finale of NCIS: Hawai’i is expected to air on May 13, 2024.
Other NCIS Spin-off Shows You Can Watch Right Now
NCIS has been running since 2003 and after 987 episodes and 44 seasons, it has indeed become a legacy franchise of television, especially for CBS. Created by Donald P. Bellisario (Magnum P.I.) and Don McGill (JAG), NCIS deals with criminal investigations conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service of the U.S. Department of Navy. While the parent show is still on and has become the longest-running show of the franchise, it has spawned several spin-off shows, movies, and games. Besides, Hawai’i, you can also check out these other NCIS spin-off series, each set in a new location. Another new spin-off, titled NCIS: Origins, was announced in January 2024, which would serve as a prequel series to the parent show and follow Leroy Jethro Gibbs's (Mark Harmon) early days as an NCIS agent.
NCIS: Los Angeles
Created by Shane Brennan (CSI: Miami), NCIS: Los Angeles is the first spin-off of the franchise and is billed as a crime action drama. It combines military investigations and police procedurals. The series follows various assignments and exploits of a team of agents at the Los Angeles Office of Special Projects (OSP), an elite division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that specializes in undercover assignments. The story focuses on LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna, an ex-Navy SEAL and NCIS Senior Special Agent, who later becomes a series regular in NCIS: Hawai’i. Chris O'Donnell, Peter Cambor, Eric Christian Olsen, Daniella Ruah, Nia Long, and Gerald McRaney, also star in various roles. The series ran for 14 seasons between 2009 and 2023. Despite mixed reviews from critics, NCIS: Los Angeles managed quite a fan following and ranked high in the network’s ratings.
NCIS: New Orleans
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Following the 12th season of NCIS, the franchise released its second spin-off and third series, NCIS: New Orleans, created by Gary Glasberg. Set (and also filmed) in the vibrant city of New Orleans, the police procedural crime drama follows yet another team of special agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Led by Supervisory Special Agent, Dwayne Cassius Pride, the team takes on various government operations and solves crimes involving personnel in the United States Navy and Marine Corps, serving areas between the Mississippi River and the Texas Panhandle. Scott Bakula of Star Trek: Enterprise fame stars as Pride, with CCH Pounder of ER and Sons of Anarchy fame as M.E. Loretta Wade, along with Lucas Black, Zoe McLellan, Rob Kerkovich, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, and others in recurring roles across various seasons. Premiered in 2014, NCIS: New Orleans ran for seven seasons until 2021, making it the first series in the franchise to end. During its run, the series had mixed reviews, with the first two seasons garnering the most viewership and ratings.
NCIS: Sydney
Image via CBS.
The fifth series and fourth spin-off of NCIS, NCIS: Sydney is the first to be set in an international territory and features an Australian cast and crew. This latest production from the franchise comes right after NCIS: Hawai’i and has released only one season so far. Based in Sydney, Australia, this spin-off series was created by Morgan O'Neill, a writer-producer-director, best known for directing Netflix’s The Factory. Like its sister shows, NCIS: Sydney also follows a team of special agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in a joint task force with the Australian Federal Police who investigate crimes and cases involving the United States military and navy personnel. This series, like NCIS: Hawai’i, also features a female lead with Olivia Swann (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) as Michelle Mackay, Special Agent-in-Charge. On its premiere, NCIS: Sydney gained massive viewership and became the most-watched series by CBS on Paramount+.
