CBS won’t have an “NCIS” shortage next season, after all. And there’s no Hawaiian shortfall, either.
The network announced that it will launch “NCIS: Hawaii” … and that “NCIS: Los Angeles” (shown here) will be back for its 13th season. “NCIS” was already renewed for its 19th season.
Previously, CBS had cancelled two of its dramas: “MacGyver” ends its fith and final season Friday (April 30); “NCIS: New Orleans” ends iits seventh season and final season May 23. It renewed most of its other crime dramas, but “NCIS: Los Angeles”still had pending negotiations.
The new series will get CBS back to having two series sharing production facilities in Hawaii. “Magnum PI” continues, but “Hawaii 5-0” ended a year ago.
Set at Pearl Harbor, it will be the first “NCIS” with a female lead (not yet cast) and may have a stronger Asian focus than the previous shows. The opener will be directed by Larry Teng, who is also an executive producer; Teng, a Chinese-American from Long Island, has directed about 100 TV episodes, including 11 of “Hawaii Five-0.”
As new shows (including the current “Clarice”) struggle to find an audience, CBS has played it save. Its dramas have stuck with a reboot (“The Equalizer”) and some spin-offs. Next season will add new editions of “NCIS,” “CSI” and “FBI.”