NCIS: Hawai’i star Vanessa Lachey has broken her silence after the crime procedural was canceled after three seasons.
“Gutted, confused, blindsided,” Lachey, 43, wrote via Instagram Story on Saturday, April 27, alongside a graphic of the show’s fictional department logo. “Grateful, confident, beloved fans!”
She continued, “Processing this news and still being present with my family. I love you all! Mahalo Nui Loa.”
Us Weekly confirmed on Friday, April 26, that CBS had canceled the NCIS spinoff, which means its Monday, May 6, season 3 finale will also serve as the series’ farewell.
NCIS: Hawai’i premiered in 2021, led by Lachey’s Jane Tennant and her team of criminal agents on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It was the first NCIS spinoff to feature a female protagonist.
“This role is definitely a move in the right direction for women and especially Asian-American actresses who want to secure leading roles in television and film,” Lachey told Shondaland upon the series premiere. “Growing up, I never saw a female lead on television that looked like me. My hope is that young girls, like my daughter, Brooklyn, will grow up in a world where more actresses look like them.”
Vanessa — who shares daughter Brooklyn, 9, as well as sons Camden, 11, and Phoenix, 7, with husband Nick Lachey — further noted that she loved playing Jane as a “badass with a warm heart.”
The actress had moved her family to Hawaii when she booked the role, quickly forming a bond with her NCIS costars.
“[Vanessa] invited me when I got the job and she got the job [to] this big sort of luau party at her house in Encino, [California,]” Jason Antoon, who played tech guru Ernie Malik, exclusively told Us earlier this month. “She reached out to me through Twitter [or] Instagram. She’s like, ‘Come over, I’m throwing a party. I want to meet you.’”
NCIS: Hawai’i also starred Noah Mills, Alex Tarrant, Yasmine Al-Bustami and Tori Anderson. LL Cool J, who previously appeared on NCIS: Los Angeles as Sam Hanna, reprised his role during season 3.
“I mean it’s a procedural show, but it’s really about what these people do together to solve these crimes and the chemistry within those characters and the family that they create them,” Antoon, 52, told Us of the team. “And obviously in Hawaii it’s ohana and joining that has been really awesome, such a gift and I’m so grateful to be a part of it all.”
During Antoon’s April interview, he expressed his hopes for a season 4 renewal and noted the entire crew would be “shocked and saddened” if the show was axed.
NCIS: Hawai’i season 3 will air its last two episodes Monday, April 29, and Monday, May 6, on CBS at 10 p.m. ET.
