M6 is broadcasting the first two episodes of “NCIS: Hawaii”, the third spin-off of the “NCIS” franchise, tonight. This new spin-off series, worn by Vanessa Lachey, is it worth a look? Discover our opinion.
What is it about ?
Jane Tennant is the first female special agent in charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. She rose through the ranks through her confidence and strategy, in a male-dominated system that pushed her back at every step.
With her unwavering team of specialists, she balances her duty to her family and her country, while investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of this sun-drenched island paradise.
Every Saturday at 9:10 p.m. on M6 from February 18
Who is it with?
New version of the NCIS franchise, NCIS: Hawaii is worn by Vanessa Lachey, an American actress, model and host who previously appeared in sitcoms like Dads and Truth Be Told, and also presents the reality TV show Love is Blind on Netflix, co-hosting with husband Nick Lachey.
Around her, the rest of the team is made up of Noah Mills (The Brave), Yasmine Al-Bustami (The Originals), Alex Tarrant (The Rings of Power), Tori Anderson (No Tomorrow) and Jason Antoon (Claws ).
It’s worth checking out ?
Despite the upcoming shutdown of NCIS: Los Angeles after 14 seasons, and the cancellation of the spin-off in New Orleans in 2021, the police franchise NCIS, initiated in 2003 with NCIS: Special Investigations, has not said its last word. Far from there.
While a new version supposed to take place in Sydney, Australia, is in preparation for the Paramount + platform, and that the parent series continues to make the heyday of CBS in the United States despite the departure of Mark Harmon (Gibbs) in season 19, a third spin-off which this time takes us to the heart of the Hawaiian Islands was born in 2021 across the Atlantic.
Simply titled NCIS: Hawaii, this new spin-off series finally arrives in France on M6 this Saturday, February 18 at 9:10 p.m., after first being made available on Salto a few weeks ago. And NCIS fans should be won over by this spin-off which takes up all the codes of the franchise: investigations against the background of the American army, a team with obvious chemistry despite very distinct characters, action scenes, and a little humor in the dialogues to lighten the whole.
Created by Christopher Silber (former NCIS: New Orleans showrunner), Jan Nash, and Matt Bosack, NCIS: Hawaii also enjoys the paradisiacal natural settings of Hawaii, which offer an additional breath to the whole and ensure a certain rather welcome change of scenery.
However, it is not all these elements that we retain after watching several episodes of this new series. Indeed, the good news is that NCIS: Hawaii manages to stand out (a little) from its cousins since it is the first series in the NCIS franchise to be worn by a woman.
After Mark Harmon, the Chris O’Donnell/LL Cool J duo, and Scott Bakula, make way for Vanessa Lachey who is doing very well for her first regular role in a drama. We quickly get attached to Jane Tennant, her character, who combines a strong character and a real maternal side that makes her a boss close to her team. And it was time for an NCIS series to have a woman at its head, without a male co-lead, as is still too often the case in detective fiction.
The contribution in diversity of this new spin-off does not stop there: NCIS: Hawaii also manages to take an interest in Hawaiian culture through Kai Holman, the NCIS agent camped by Alex Tarrant, who returns to the archipelago to take care of his father.
And the series also features, for the first time, two LGBTQIA+ characters among its heroes: NCIS Pearl Harbor agent Lucy Tara (Yasmine Al-Bustami) and DIA agent Kate Whistler, played by Tori Anderson, who oppose each other on the field in a rather amusing way but share a love history. A relationship that should quickly become one of the main interests of viewers who will be drawn into the adventures of NCIS Pearl Harbor.
NCIS: Hawaii is therefore breathing a little freshness into a franchise that really needed it. But the series does not renew the genre either and is above all to be recommended to fans of procedural series and fans of Gibbs, Callen, Kensi and the others.