While the NCIS franchise may have said goodbye to one of its shows (Los Angeles), two are still on the schedule for fall 2023 (the original and the newest spinoff, Hawai’i). And both left at least one member from each team in interesting places.
NCIS ended with more of a straightforward cliffhanger, as Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) confronted a man from his past and teased quite the potential dark turn. Meanwhile, over on Hawai’i, Tennant’s (Vanessa Lachey) actions in the two-part finale may mean trouble for her in the future. Plus, just one day after the NCIS: LA finale aired, LL Cool J made a cameo on Hawai’i and was announced to be recurring in its third season.
Scroll down as we take a look at the burning questions we need answered when our favorite dramas return.
NCIS: Will Torres shoot that man from his past?
While in prison undercover, Torres took an interest in a young inmate and, specifically, his mother’s boyfriend (Al Sapienza) visiting him. Later, Torres left his sister a voicemail to tell her, “I found him. … The bastard’s still alive, and he’s still doing it.” The finale ended with Torres waiting for him in his home, wanting “what I always wanted … to watch you die,” the agent said, picking up his gun. But Torres wouldn’t really kill — or even shoot — him, right?
But could he do something that keeps him off the team, even for a short while? Prior to the finale, executive producer Steven D. Binder told TV Insider, “this could go in any direction. He could be back, he could be gone, he could be gone for a little while. There’s a lot of big issues that we’re contending with right now on this subject, so I wouldn’t want the audience to think this is false jeopardy here. These are real stakes here for this character.”
NCIS: Will Palmer and Knight take any significant steps in their relationship?
It was the penultimate episode of the season that saw Palmer (Brian Dietzen) blurt out “I love you” to Knight (Katrina Law) on his way out of the office; she returned the sentiment in front of the team later. Theirs is the first relationship featuring two series regulars we’re actually seeing play out onscreen (versus something happening only when one person is leaving), so what’s next for them? Moving in together?
NCIS: Will Season 21 be its last?
Given that we’re now over 20 years into the series, and it has lasted beyond Mark Harmon’s exit (something we initially didn’t think would happen), it is hard to imagine it ending. But the reality is that shows can’t last forever. Two NCIS spinoffs have already ended: New Orleans in 2021 and Los Angeles in May 2023. We’re closer to the end of NCIS than we are to the beginning, and it’s only a question of when, not if, we see the final season.
NCIS: Hawai’i: Will Tennant face any serious consequences for her actions?
Tennant made a calculated move in the finale to take a really bad guy out of commission, and as a result, her mentor who turned out to be a spy, Maggie (Julie White), who was in custody is now free. John (Henry Ian Cusick) from the Office of Special Projects (OSP) told someone over the phone that the events of this case “seem like an exception” but that, presumably, Tennant could be hiding other secrets, and it “couldn’t hurt to plus up the team.” We know that Sam’s recurring next season, and on NCIS: LA, Kilbride (Gerald McRaney) was looking at him to fill the operations manager spot near the end of the series. (That was never resolved.) Could his time on the island have some sort of impact on the role Tennant has with the team in an official capacity? (Unofficially, we don’t think it would.)
NCIS: Hawai’i: What will bring (and keep) Sam around for a while?
Sam stepped in to help Tennant and Kate (Tori Anderson) while they were in Caracas (and he 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 would think that it would be related to something in his life and what’s going on with the Hawai’i team. And how much will we hear about what’s next for the OSP team while he’s around?
Will there 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 two remaining shows in the franchise as well. Will that happen again, whether it’s only on one show with a character (or more) visiting or a two-hour event across both?
Will anyone else from NCIS: LA 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 besides LL Cool J to appear on either NCIS or Hawai’i, even for a single case since that series ended with everyone still working at OSP.
