Parents' Guide to

NCIS: Hawai'i

By Monique Jones, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Lush crime procedural rises above with diversity, inclusion.

TV CBS Action 2021
NCIS: Hawai'i Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • NCIS: Hawai'i TV: Scene #1
  • NCIS: Hawai'i TV: Scene #2
  • NCIS: Hawai'i TV: Scene #3

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 15 parent reviews

R CT
R CT Adult
October 3, 2022
age 18+

What is the value proposition of lesbian relationships on NCIS Hawaii

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is the latest incarnation of societies attempt to rectify age old prejudice and discrimination on the basis of an individual or group of individual's characteristics. Just as in the past, affirmative action was an attempt rectify activities that were discriminatory to various disadvantaged classes. Most of today's viewers are totally aware that there are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more (LGBTQA+) members of the greater community. The question that needs to be asked is what is the affirmative worth of portraying an active lesbian relationship bring to the value of the program? For one, it adds nothing to the plot and actually is somewhat distracting. Additionally, it might be adversarial to many audiences. The producers should be keenly aware that they are guiding audiences towards being more inclusive in their thinking. The next question is more related to the role of the broadcasters. Their basic requirement is to provide entertainment that is acceptable to a large majority of their viewership, thus producing revenue. If their desire is to shape societal beliefs and acceptance, perhaps these efforts should seek another more suitable venue.
8 people found this helpful.
lcsnow
lcsnow Adult
September 27, 2022
age 2+

Lesbians add nothing positive to the show! They ruin it!

I liked this show and the actors until they put in two lesbians!!!! It made me want to record it and fast forward through the disgusting lesbian scenes!!! I will not be watching the show any more!! The lesbians add nothing to the show! If anything, they ruin the show!! It’s very disappointing ! I have loved NCIS. I wish the new NCIS shows were all as good as the original!!!!!

This title has:

Too much sex
7 people found this helpful.
See all 15 parent reviews

What's the Story?

CBS' latest NCIS series, NCIS: Hawai'i follows Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) as she and her team of Naval criminal investigators solve crimes and keep one of America's porous borders safe from spies and other criminals.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (15 ):
Kids say (2 ):

This nice-to-look at series hits the usual beats you expect from a CBS procedural show, but gets props for legitimate inclusion of native Hawaiian people in its cast. In one sense, there's not much to complain about -- fans of the popular series and of the procedural genre as a whole will feel satisfied with familiar character archetypes and cases getting solved without too much fuss. Of course, there's some violence, but --as par for the course with this kind of show -- it's violent enough to create some realism without ever letting you forget you're watching something many use to wind down with at the end of the day.

Where NCIS: Hawai'i builds on CBS' increased commitment to diversity is by showing a team that interacts with the native Hawaiian population on a daily basis. Instead of showing a whitewashed version of Hawaii, the series features a multicultural cast including Alex Tarrant, an actor from New Zealand who is of Māori, Samoan and Niuean heritage. While he's not Hawaiian, Tarrant's background does give him more authority on the experiences of native Pacific Islanders than if his character Kai Holman was cast with another actor. Moses Goods is another actor on the series who represents the Native Hawaiian experience. Goods is Black and Native Hawaiian, giving him first-hand knowledge of what it's like growing up on the island. Like most CBS shows, NCIS: Hawai'i is still gently guiding audiences towards being more inclusive in their thinking when it comes to procedurals. But it's great that the series has introduced their viewers to the fact that Hawaii is more than just a vacation spot --it's also an area of land that was once a nation unto itself.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Hawaii's culture. What makes Hawaii's culture unique? How are issues affecting Native Hawaiians included in the series?

  • How is teamwork explored in the series?

  • How is Jane Tennant as a leader? Is she a role model?

  • Why is the idea of family important to Jane Tennant and her team?

  • How does open communication help the NCIS team work together?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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