When CBS decided to cancel NCIS: Hawaii, the cast was blindsided by this. Needless to say, so were the three co-showrunners. This was unexpected for two main reasons. What did the trio say why they thought that the military procedural series would continue?
What Was The Surprising Reason Showrunners Didn’t Think They Would Be Canceled?
When NCIS: Hawaii was canceled, the three co-showrunners Jan Nash, Christopher Silber, and Matt Bosack were blindsided. They spoke to TV Line as to why they were surprised by this cancellation. Firstly, they revealed that they would not have ended the season on a cliffhanger.
However, the biggest surprise was that no one stopped them from doing that. “The fact that the studio and the network didn’t stop us makes it seem like they might not have seen it coming either.” That means a lot of people were blindsided by this cancellation. It doesn’t sound like anyone saw this coming.
The trio shared that a lot of people loved this show. “We loved our show and know other people loved it too, but the TV business is a fickle mistress and one can’t take business decisions personally. But it still stings.”
NCIS: Hawaii Season 3 Had Higher Numbers Than Season 2
Another surprise that the NCIS: Hawaii showrunners did not mention was that NCIS: Hawaii Season 3 had more viewers. This spinoff saw an increase of 4%. The series was the sixth in total audience. The top shows in order were Tracker, NCIS, FBI, Blue Bloods, and The Equalizer. All of the top six are CBS shows. However, they were “down a tick in the demo.” Yet, the series was in fine company. No wonder they did not feel concerned that they would be canceled.
But, Amy Reisenbach, the CBS Entertainment President admitted that when they canceled some fan favorites, including Hawaii, “We had to make some really tough choices this year.” She revealed that they made their decision based on the “cohesiveness of the schedule flow.” In addition, they evaluated “finances and the performance overall.”
There is no doubt that this series is more expensive to make because of the location. In addition, CBS helps get some Aussie financial support to make NCIS: Sydney. Unfortunately for NCIS: Hawaii fans, the strike delays and how CBS solved it may have been the show’s demise. Sydney was originally going to air on Paramount+. But, the strike made the network get creative. Therefore, they moved this to CBS and now it is returning for Season 2 early next Spring. It is not farfetched to declare this cancelation as a result of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.