An additional spinoff of the 2003 drama series NCIS is in development at CBS, NCIS: Hawaii, according to Variety. The series, announced by sources close to the show, would make it the franchise’s fourth series alongside NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and NCIS: New Orleans.
The potential series is still in its beginning stages but a few plot details are known. The series will follow suit with its predecessors, following a team of Naval criminal investigators who now operate on the Hawaiian islands. It is also known that Chris Silber (NCIS: New Orleans), Jan Nash (NCIS: New Orleans), and Matt Bosack (SEAL Team), are attached to the series as writers and executive producers, all having worked with CBS on projects before. Beginning with the mothership series in 2003, NCIS starred Mark Harmon (Freaky Friday); now 18 seasons in, the series maintains its spot as the most-watched drama series on television. Moving forward, its first spinoff, launched in 2009 and entitled NCIS: Los Angeles, starred LL Cool J (Deep Blue Sea) and Chris O’Donnell (Batman Forever) and is currently in its 12th season. An additional spinoff premiered in 2014 and is titled NCIS: New Orleans, starring Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap). It is currently in its seventh season.
If NCIS: Hawaii is given a series order and the existing NCIS spinoff series are renewed, the franchise could join Law & Order as the second drama series with four series on-air simultaneously. Fellow CBS crime drama franchise, CSI, is also planning an upcoming spinoff entitled CSI: Vegas, which would be the fifth CSI series to join the franchise alongside CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, and CSI: Cyber. If NCIS: Hawaii goes to series, it will also join the list of CBS series set in Hawaii, including Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-O, and the third season of Love Island, which was filmed on the island. NCIS took part in a Hawaiin cross-over episode in 2012 with Hawaii Five-O. Meanwhile, it can be assumed that CBS will utilize the production base built for the canceled Hawaii Five-O in NCIS: Hawaii if it ends up going to series.
Little is still known about the series, as it is still in the early developmental stages, however, as Variety reports, a series order seems inevitable, given the long history the franchise has with CBS.