NCIS: Hawai’i has confirmed when season 3 is set to start filming. This third run of the spin-off will begin shooting next week on Monday, December 4, and it’s been pencilled in for a premiere on Monday, February 12, 2024.
Due to the strikes that took place in Hollywood earlier this year, the season is expected to be between 10 and 13 episodes long (as is the rest of the CBS slate), rather than the usual 22.
The production will begin with a blessing led by a Kahu, with an Oli Aloha (welcoming chant) and Pule Ho’oku’u (closing prayer), as is Hawaiian tradition.
It has been stated that the focal point of the blessing ceremony will be “the connections that the number three represents with the past, present, and future, as well as togetherness, completeness as a team, and moving forward as a family.”
Along with LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna, who made a brief appearance in the season 2 finale, all of the primary cast members—Vanessa Lachey, Alex Tarrant, Yasmine Al-Bustami, Jason Antoon, Noah Mills, and Tori Anderson—are expected to return.
Executive producers Matt Bosack, Jan Nash and Christopher Silber previously opened up about the star’s return.
“All of us at NCIS: Hawai’i have been huge fans of LL Cool J for years and couldn’t be more thrilled or honored to be adding his spectacular talent to our ohana (family) for season 3,” he said in a statement.
“The show’s ability to bring the franchise together is one of the most beautiful things about working on NCIS: Hawaii,” continued Lachey. With the triple crossover, we have been having so much fun extending the aloha to NCIS and NCIS: LA.
“We now have the incredible chance to invite Sam Hanna to Hawaii in order to assist the island in solving some cases and perhaps have a few good chuckles along the way. Todd, welcome to the ohana! The ride will be enjoyable.”
LL Cool J has portrayed Sam Hanna in multiple episodes of the series, including NCIS: Los Angeles and the NCIS/Hawaii Five-0 crossover, as fans of the franchise are aware.
NCIS: Hawai’i airs on CBS in the US. NCIS seasons 1-20 are streaming on Disney+ in the UK.