NCIS Hawai’i: What we learned from Pilot

NCIS: Hawai’i premiered this week, adding a new chapter to the NCIS franchise. What can viewers take away from the CBS drama’s debut?

Brittany Frederick

September 21, 2021

NCIS Hawaii — “Pilot” – Vanessa Lachey stars as Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor Jane Tennant, who, with her unwavering team of specialists, balance duty family and country while investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of the sun-drenched island paradise itself, on the series premiere of NCIS: HAWAI`I, Monday, Sept. 20 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Noah Mills as Jesse Boone Photo: Karen Neal/CBS ©2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

002. Old-fashioned crime solving still exists

Crime dramas today feature a heavy reliance on technology as the primary problem-solver. There’s a tech expert, usually of the overly geeky variety, who can find all kinds of information in a flash and also serves as a crutch for the writers because they can spit out tons of expository details. NCIS: Hawai’i has the tech expert in Ernie Malik (played by Jason Antoon), but based on this first episode, it’s going to show more legwork than keystrokes.

Special Agent Jesse Boone (Noah Mills) broke out his “OG GPS,” better known as a map, when looking for a missing car. His discovery of the vehicle also included finding the dead body of the victim’s girlfriend, which was a turning point in the episode. Newest arrival Kai Holman (Alex Tarrant) also got valuable information by talking to fellow locals. Ernie had plenty to do in the episode, but “Pilot” didn’t hinge on him hacking into something or pulling a piece of previously unknown information out of nowhere. His contributions were a part of the team’s overall success.

Technology is part of law enforcement and it always will be; there is absolutely a place for it in procedurals like NCIS: Hawai’i. The key is not overdoing it and making the characters have to get most of their information from standing in front of a computer screen. Show all the skills that they have and every possible way of solving a crime. And let writers show ways to set up stories that aren’t just pulling up someone’s personnel file. There’s a balance that’s tilted too far in one direction, but this series might be evening things up.