Friday, June 5, 2026

UPDATE CBS Cancels “NCIS: Hawai’i” After Three Seasons: Did LL Cool J Cost Too Much? Was It the Female Lead?

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CBS has cancelled “NCIS: Hawai’i”? Was it the apostrophe? Was it LL Cool J’s salary? Did focus groups not like Vanessa Lachey as a female leader of the NCIS?

Alas, it’s gone, leaving just regular “NCIS” and the one based in Sydney, Australia, both of which are coming back. Last year “NCIS Los Angeles” ended its run after the New Orleans branch shut down, too.

This is what I wrote earlier: t all comes down to money. CBS added LLCool J, who was the co-star of “NCIS: LA” to the Hawaii show this season for a few episodes. But “Hawai’i” already has stars in Jason Antoon and Vanessa Lachey. Would paying CBS’s favorite rapping actor tip over the budget? May be!

CBS just renewed “The Equalizer” with Queen Latifah after a long negotiation. These shows are all hits, given the declining number of viewers overall on TV. The Tiffany network has already cancelled the popular “So Help Me, Todd.” Considering the whole “NCIS” universe, you’d think they’d want “Hawai’i” back, too, just for the extra apostrophe.

Me? I’m waiting for “NCIS Hartford.”

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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