‘NCIS: Hawaii’ ends its run with ratings high

“NCIS: Hawaii” has ended its run on a high note.

The unplanned series finale on Monday night rose 7% to capture its biggest audience since the season premiere, with 5.41 million viewers, according to TVLine. Delayed and streaming viewings will likely push that figure north of 10 million.

The news is bittersweet for the cast and crew, who learned at the 11th hour that CBS was canceling the hit series after three seasons. As a result, the series ended on a major cliffhanger that will remain unresolved.

CBS — in the midst of a possible sale of its parent company, Paramount Global — has cited the high costs of production in Hawaii as a reason for the cancellation.

“It is incumbent on us to always keep the schedule fresh, keep momentum going. We had to make some really tough choices this year,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach told Variety. “Everything came back [from the Hollywood strikes] really strong, but ultimately we have to look at the cohesiveness of the schedule flow. We have to evaluate the financials and the performance overall, and we make tough decisions.”

The show’s end came as a surprise for series star Vanessa Lachey, who posted on her Instagram Stories that she was “gutted, confused, blindsided” by the news.

Jason Antoon, a co-star on the series, tweeted, “This business is brutal and makes no sense. Mahalo to all and everyone who supported us.”

As with the cancellation of Hawaii-based “Magnum: PI,” fans of the NCIS spinoff paid for a billboard on Times Square urging CBS to “Save NCIS: Hawaii” from cancellation.

However, Reisenbach said there was no chance it would be revived, and the series was not being shopped at other networks or streamers.

New Hawaii series filming

The news is not all bad for fans of Hawaii-based action and adventure series. Fox has ordered 19 episodes of “Rescue: HI-Surf” for its 2024-2025 schedule, according to Deadline. The series is being filmed on Oahu’s North Shore and follows a team of lifeguards who patrol the dangerous coastline. 

The series stars Robbie Magasiva, Arielle Kebbel, Adam Demos, Kekoa Kekumano, Alex Aiono, and Zoe Cipres. Ian Anthony Dale, who appeared on the “Hawaii Five-0” (2010-2020) remake, will also appear in a recurring role.