Are the closed doors to the NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 writer’s room finally open? Well, if you’re wondering the same, then we can assure you that it looks like the answer is a big yes! The patience of the fans, along with the entire cast and crew of the entire NCIS-verse, has finally paid off as months of waiting for the WGA strike to resolve and reach an agreement has finally arrived. It is because of this agreement, which happened nearly five months ago, that the writer’s room for Season 3 was able to open up on Monday, as confirmed in a new report by TVLine.
Moreover, the WGA membership ratified its contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, bringing to a final end to the strike. After a week of voting, the clear majority of the WGA membership voted to ratify the three-year Minimum Basic Agreement.
Some 8,525 valid votes, or “99% of WGA members,” as the guild termed it just now, were cast by members of the 11,000-strong Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East. “There were 8,435 ‘yes’ votes and 90 ‘no’ votes,” the guild announced in an email sent to members. The now-signed agreement spans from September 25, 2023, to May 31, 2026, and includes significant advances for scribes in terms of A.I. guardrails, residuals, writers room staffing, and data transparency as well as salary raises.
This is a big relief for the NCIS: Hawai’i fandom, which means that we are inching ever closer to the commencement of the filming once the SAG-AFTRA strike is over. Unfortunately, the actor’s strike is still a major hurdle for the production as it is actively being negotiated, and it might get resolved within the next few weeks. When the parties came back to the table from a day away from deliberations, a guild source close to the bargaining told Deadline, “Both sides are committed to the process, but it is complicated stuff, and everyone wants to give the points the time and attention they deserved.”
After all, it’s only a matter of time before fans get their hands on the highly anticipated third season, which was renewed by CBS in February 2023. Keeping this topic aside for a second, can you believe that ever since the dual strikes began earlier this year, we are now left with only two months in 2023? This is quite unfortunate because if the WGA strikes were able to reach a resolution much earlier, then we might already have just some idea about the next season’s plot through the completed scripts or even a few promotional materials for the episodes that could have been subtitled for a fall 2023–24 release on CBS instead of last year’s summer schedule.
At last, everything happens for a reason. Therefore, it’s alright since the fans can wait a little longer.
Right now, it’s safe to assume that if the actor’s strikes don’t reach an agreement by late 2023, then the creators of the show and the network will be forced to modify and release it sometime in the first quarter of 2024 (January to March). The new episodes will be expected to air at the same time slot every Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and later on Paramount Plus in order to avoid any further disruption caused by the strikes and disclose new details in the near future! It’s only a matter of time before the modified broadcast schedule becomes known to the viewers. So, we predict that there is no chance for the popular police procedural series to make its comeback anytime soon this year!
In addition to this, for the third season, along with the main cast members from the prior two seasons, Yasmine Al-Bustami is still reprising her role despite all the rumors about her exit. That’s not all! In a big surprise, LL Cool J will reprise the role of Sam Hanna from NCIS: Los Angeles as a recurring guest star in Season 3 of NCIS: Hawai’i. “All of us at NCIS: Hawai’i have been huge fans of LL Cool J for years and couldn’t be more thrilled or honored to be adding his spectacular talent to our ohana for season three,” executive producers Matt Bosack, Jan Nash, and Christopher Silber said in a statement.
“One of the most beautiful things about working on NCIS: Hawai’i is the show’s ability to bring the franchise together. We have had so much fun spreading the aloha to NCIS and NCIS: LA with the triple crossover. Now, we have the amazing opportunity to bring Sam Hanna to Hawai’i to help the island solve some cases and maybe have a few laughs in the process. Welcome to the ohana, Todd! It’s going to be a fun ride!” Lachey added.
All the previous seasons of NCIS: Hawai’i are available to stream on Paramount+, FuboTV, and Netflix. The viewers can also stream the series by renting or purchasing on Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, and Google Play, with a vast number of membership plans. Moreover, the series is also available to watch exclusively on CBS’s official website and app, where the episodes are published after they air on the channel on Mondays in the 10/9c time slot. You can also stream it for free on Pluto. Lastly, the crew of the show includes Matt Bosack, Jan Nash, and Christopher Silber, who serve as executive producers. Lastly, NCIS: Hawai’i is produced by CBS Studios.
We've moved! Make sure to follow @NCISverse for all things #NCISHawaii moving forward — see you there 😎 https://t.co/Dk9Mzk980t
— NCIS: Hawai'i (@NCISHawaiiCBS) August 28, 2023
While you wait for more updates on NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3, catch up with the previous seasons and let us know what you like the most about this series.