Fans rally together to save NCIS: Hawaii from cancellation

CBS has made a bad call when it comes to NCIS: Hawaii. The series hit all the right metrics in terms of linear ratings, and yet it was canceled.

This isn’t just a show with a female lead coming to an end. It’s a show with some excellent representation across the board. It’s a show with one of the most beloved lesbian couples on TV right now. This and Station 19 coming to an end this year are leading to a lack of representation that is desperately needed in the world of TV.

So, it’s not surprising that fans are rallying together. Fans are taking to social media in an attempt to save the series.

Why NCIS: Hawaii needs to be saved

The reason for the cancellation is a poor one at best. The show may not be the “most watched” show on broadcast, but it is performing well in the linear ratings, especially in the 10 p.m. ET/PT timeslot on a Monday night. This is a tricky timeslot for a lot of reasons across all broadcast networks.

Now, it’s likely that CBS wants that timeslot for NCIS: Origins, but that didn’t mean Hawaii had to be canceled. It could have at least been given a final fourth season to help wrap up storylines. Instead, it was abruptly and unfairly canceled.

We need shows with representation. This was even one of those shows that didn’t rely on “a woman in charge” in the marketing to perform well. There were so many reasons to tune in, and it suited all needs. We have the queer representation that it’s time we have more of on screen. There was the focus on the native people of Hawaii and how they react to law enforcement. We even had a guy who was rejected by a woman he was interested in and didn’t take it all too personally—Ernie respected Knight’s choice and is still professional and kind. That’s the type of guy we need to see as a look at what a real man is like.

Fans are taking to social media to point out how necessary this show is right now.

Could NCIS: Hawaii be saved?

There are a couple of issues with saving this show. It’s not that I don’t think it should be saved (I really do) but I also like to be realistic. That’s just who I am.

One of the issues is that it doesn’t sound like it’s being shopped around. If the people behind the scenes aren’t working on saving it, then it’s much harder to get a streamer to pick it up.

If it was going to be picked up by a streamer, Paramount+ would make the most sense. It already has NCIS: Sydney (which is where Season 2 is going) and it will have the Tony/Ziva spin-off series. The rest of the franchise is already there, so it makes sense to keep it all in one place. However, Paramount+ is owned by ViacomCBS, and that suggests that a thought of moving it to Paramount+ was made and discarded.

So, it means splitting up the franchise by putting the show on another streamer. That’s unlikely to happen. While NCIS: Hawaii fans would most definitely follow the series, it would be trickier to manage the franchise as a whole. So, from a business side of things, it doesn’t make sense. However, I do think that it would perform well on Prime Video considering shows like Reacher and Jack Ryan are already popular there.