While one of the NCIS franchise’s shows (Los Angeles) has been cancelled, two are still scheduled for fall 2023 (the original and the newest spinoff, Hawai’i). And both teams had at least one member in interesting places.
NCIS ended on a more straightforward cliffhanger, with Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) confronting a man from his past and hinting at a potentially dark turn.
Meanwhile, Tennant’s (Vanessa Lachey) actions in the two-part finale on Hawai’i may spell trouble for her in the future. LL Cool J also made a cameo on Hawai’i and was announced to be recurring in its third season just one day after the NCIS: LA finale aired.
Scroll down to see the burning questions we want answered when our favorite dramas return.
Will Torres shoot that man from his past on NCIS?
Torres became interested in a young inmate and, in particular, his mother’s boyfriend (Al Sapienza) who visited him while in prison undercover. Torres later called his sister and told her, “I found him…. The cretin is still alive and well, and he’s still doing it.” Torres was waiting for him in his home at the end of the episode, wanting “what I always wanted… to watch you d1e,” the agent said as he picked up his gun. But Torres wouldn’t k1ll — or even shoot — him, would he?
But could he do something to keep himself off the team, even if only for a short time? Executive producer Steven D. Binder told TV Insider ahead of the finale, “this could go in any direction.” He could be back, he could be gone, or he could be gone for a short period of time. There are a lot of big issues we’re dealing with right now on this subject, so I don’t want the audience to think this is a game. These are significant stakes for this character.”
NCIS: Will Palmer and Knight take any major steps forward in their relationship?
Palmer (Brian Dietzen) said “I love you” to Knight (Katrina Law) on his way out of the office in the season’s penultimate episode; she later returned the sentiment in front of the team. Theirs is the first relationship involving two series regulars that we’ve seen play out onscreen (rather than something that happens only when one person leaves), so what’s next for them? Are you and your partner moving in together?
NCIS: Will Season 21 be the final season?
Given that we’re now over 20 years into the series and it’s survived Mark Harmon’s departure (which we didn’t think would happen), it’s difficult to imagine it ending. However, shows cannot last indefinitely. Two NCIS spinoffs have already concluded, with New Orleans ending in 2021 and Los Angeles ending in May 2023. We’re getting closer to the end of NCIS than the beginning, and it’s only a matter of when, not if, we’ll see the final season.
NCIS: Hawai’i: Will Tennant face serious repercussions for her actions?
Tennant made a calculated move in the finale to take out a really bad guy, and as a result, Maggie (Julie White), her mentor who turned out to be a spy, is now free. The events of this case “seem like an exception,” but Tennant could be hiding other secrets, and it “couldn’t hurt to plus up the team,” according to John (Henry Ian Cusick) from the Office of Special Projects (OSP).
We know Sam will be back next season, and Kilbride (Gerald McRaney) was considering him for the position of operations manager near the end of NCIS: LA. (This issue was never resolved.) Could Tennant’s time on the island have an effect on his official role with the team? (Unofficially, we don’t believe it will.)
What will bring (and keep) Sam around for a while on NCIS: Hawai’i?
While Tennant and Kate (Tori Anderson) were in Caracas, Sam was in Morocco as part of the Rescue Hetty mission teased at the end of the LA series finale. And, while no details have been released about what brings Sam to the island for multiple episodes, we’d guess it’s something in his personal life or something going on with the Hawai’i team. And how much will we learn about the OSP team’s future plans while he’s around?
Is there going to be another NCIS-Hawai’i crossover?
In addition to the three-show crossover that brought NCIS, LA, and Hawai’i together for an event in January 2023, there have been a couple featuring the franchise’s two remaining shows. Will that happen again, whether it’s just on one show with a visit from a character (or more) or a two-hour event spanning both?
Is anyone else from NCIS: Los Angeles going to appear on either show?
Since the aforementioned major crossover introduced the agents of the three teams to each other, the door is open for another LA cast member other than LL Cool J to appear on either NCIS or Hawai’i, even if only for a single case, given that that series ended with everyone still working at OSP.
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