The NCIS universe is getting even bigger in the not-too-distant future thanks to the upcoming premiere of NCIS: Hawai'i. Unlike previous entries in the NCIS franchise, Hawai'i isn't launching with a backdoor pilot on one of the other series, and premieres just months after NCIS: New Orleans came to an end in the spring. Of course, Hawai'i also shares a universe with more shows than just the others that bear the NCIS name, with plenty both past and present. And one executive producer has weighed in on future potential crossovers between NCIS: Hawai'i and Hawaii Five-0, among other CBS shows.
Although NCIS: Hawai'i obviously shares a universe with NCIS, NCIS: LA, and the recently-ended NCIS: New Orleans, it also has connections to a number of other shows. Thanks to some crossover magic between the CBS shows, Hawai'i also exists in a world inhabited by characters from Magnum P.I., Hawai'i Five-0, Scorpion, and MacGyver. When asked at CBS' TCA Summer Press Tour about who from the other shows might be available to NCIS: Hawai'i, executive producer Christopher Silber weighed in:
I'll just say, and I only speak for myself as one of the executive producers, but I am always open to any sort of crossover that CBS will allow. I've experienced it certainly just in the world of the NCIS franchise. It is always exciting and fun. It is fun for those of us participating in it. It's fun for the audience. So if they want to come play with us, we would love that opportunity. Name the show, name the day. I at least will be there for it.
Before helping to launch NCIS: Hawai'i for the fall season, Christopher Silber was a co-executive producer on the original NCIS for several years, and then executive producer on NCIS: New Orleans until it wrapped in the spring. So, he's certainly not kidding about having plenty of experience in the NCIS franchise! The most obvious shows for a potential crossover are Magnum P.I. and Hawaii Five-0, even though Hawaii Five-0 technically ended after ten seasons back in 2020.
Plenty of characters were still alive and around when Five-0 ended, so they could certainly turn up in theory. Plus, Magnum P.I. is just a few weeks away from premiering its fourth season on CBS. It would make sense for some of these characters to cross paths every once in a while. After all, if NCIS: Los Angeles could find a way to make a crossover with Hawaii Five-0 work, why can't NCIS: Hawai'i pull something off with Magnum P.I. on the same island?
In fact, NCIS: Hawai'i leading lady Vanessa Lachey already has an idea of how the characters from the shows could mingle. While it's not exactly the kind of plan that Gibbs over on the original NCIS would approve of (or Lachey's Jane Tennant, for that matter), it's definitely fun to imagine. She shared her vision for a crossover of sorts:
We want to get like a dodgeball tournament going. Like NCIS: Hawai'i versus Magnum P.I. versus like Hawaii Five-0. Just go at it. I don't know, we want to have, like, jerseys. We joke about it on set, because it is such a beautiful location. And we all are here on this beautiful island.
I can't speak for anybody else, but I know I would watch a dodgeball game between those three casts! Based on what has been previewed of NCIS: Hawai'i so far and the kind of action that Vanessa Lachey's Jane Tennant and Co. will face, I think it's safe to say that they'd be a formidable team in a game of dodgeball, no matter what kind of jerseys they'd get. In case you missed it, take a look at the full trailer:
Whether or not NCIS: Hawai'i ever gets to cross over with Hawaii Five-0 characters, an episode of Magnum P.I., or any other kind of connection to different shows within its shared universe, fans will soon get to see Vanessa Lachey and the rest of the cast in action. NCIS: Hawai'i premieres on Monday, September 20 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, immediately following the Season 19 premiere of NCIS that will presumably set the stage for much less of Mark Harmon moving forward.
