NCIS: Hawai’i Should Avoid a Jane Tennant and Sam Hanna Romance

NCIS: LA's Sam Hanna is headed to NCIS: Hawai'i. His role hasn't been determined, but the series should avoid a romance between him and Tennant.

Donnie WahlbergJune 20, 2023

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NCIS: Hawai’i ended Season 2 on a high note. SAC Jane Tennant’s CIA days came back to haunt her, and she had to go out of country to make good on a mistake from her past. Although she wanted to fly solo, it took help from her team, Whistler and Charlie 1 to solve the case and catch the bad guy. Additionally, NCIS: LA’s Sam Hanna conveniently showed up out of nowhere to provide some much-needed backup.

Before leaving, Hanna made it clear that he would always be willing to give Tenant a helping hand. That comment sounded like a hint, and it turned out that it was. Shortly after the finale, NCIS: Hawai’i announced that LL Cool J would be joining the cast for Season 3. He’s been tabbed as a recurring guest star, but exactly what his role will look like is anyone’s guess. One thing is clear, though, NCIS: Hawai’i should avoid a relationship between him and Tennant.

Is NCIS: Hawai’i Setting Up a Romance for Jane Tennant?

When NCIS: Hawai’i started, Jane Tennant was already divorced from huer husband, Daniel. She was dedicated to her work and her career, but as a single mother, she did an excellent job of balancing her home life. For the first part of Season 1, Tennant was committed to being single, and that was despite the advances of Captain Joe Milius. In Episode 8, “Legacy,” Tennant relented, and the two went on a date… just in time for Milius to be transferred to the Pentagon. Later, in Episode 21, “Switchback,” Milius returned for help with a case, and the pair picked up where they left off.

Milius also showed up for a single episode in Season 2, but that time around, Tennant was focused on her son. Milius aside, Tennant recently decided that she wanted to get back into the dating scene. She went out with a dentist, and that didn’t end well. But it seemed to show that Tennant was looking for a relationship.

Whether Tennant finds a permanent relationship is yet to be determined, but the addition of Sam Hanna makes things interesting. Hitherto, there hasn’t been any flirting or anything between them. But being a procedural with a small cast, it’s not outside the realm of possibilities that the two would get together at some point. The thing is, it would be better if they didn’t.

Why Tennant and Hanna Shouldn’t Be a Couple

For starters, it doesn’t look like Hanna will be fully transferring to the Hawai’i field office. Given his recurring guest star role, it looks like he will still be operatizing out of the OSP office and occasionally showing up to assist Tennant’s team. That doesn’t sound like potential for a long-term relationship. If Tennant were to commit to a long-distance relationship, it would make more sense for Milius to fill that role, not Hanna.

It’s also possible that Hanna might still have a girlfriend. Back in NCIS: LA Season 11 and 12, Hanna was dating a Katherine Casillas. Granted, they could have broken up by now, it was never mentioned that they did. Additionally, NCIS; Hawai’i already has a marquee couple with Lucy and Whistler. Though a secondary couple wouldn’t necessarily take away from them, having Hanna and Tennant together wouldn’t feel like a secondary couple — because Tennant is the series’ lead, and Hanna is a well-established figure in the NCIS universe. For all of those reasons, it would be better if NCIS: Hawai’i avoided a romantic angle between Tennant and Hanna.

NCIS: Hawai’i airs Mondays at 10:00 p.m. on CBS and streams on Paramount+.