Vanessa Lachey To Headline ‘NCIS: Hawai’i; Yasmine Al-Bustami & Jason Antoon Also Cast In CBS Spinoff

Nellie Andreeva
·3 min read
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Vanessa Lachey has been tapped as the lead of the upcoming CBS drama series NCIS: Hawai’i, the first installment in the NCIS franchise with a female character at the center. Yasmine Al-Bustami (The Chosen) and Jason Antoon (Claws) also have been cast as a series regulars in the spinoff, which recently received a straight-to-series order for next season. The style of the show’s title has been tweaked to reflect Hawaii’s spelling in the Hawaiian language, which also is the official name of the island of Hawai’i.)

Created/executive produced by NCIS: New Orleans executive producers/showrunner Christopher Silber and Jan Nash as well as SEAL Team writer-producer Matt Bosack, NCIS: Hawai’i is set in the Aloha State. It follows Jane Tennant (Lachey) the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor and her team as they balance duty to family and country, investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of the island itself.

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Lachey’s Jane Tennant is as diplomatic as she is hard-charging. A woman in a male-dominated profession, she’s thrived in a system that’s pushed back every step of the way through equal parts confidence and strategy. But Tennant is more than just a job and a title. She’s a mother raising her kids mostly on her own. Like any parent who loves their career and their family – she’s a master juggler – balancing the duty to both her children and her country.

Al-Bustami will play Lucy. Confident in the way that reflects a lifetime of achievement and youthful enthusiasm, Lucy is the junior member of Tennant’s NCIS team. Eager to be the first one to find that key piece of evidence, create a workaround in the bureaucracy, or tackle a suspect down a flight of stairs.

Antoon will play Ernie, NCIS’s Cyber Intelligence Specialist. Ernie is a polyglot with a keen mind for technology, history, literature and all things Hawaiian. He’s an essential component of the team, who can trace an anonymous ip address or profile a suspect using only their social media footprint. Ernie doesn’t have family on the island so he’s invited himself to join his Team’s families.

Larry Teng, who has an overall deal with CBS Studios, the studio behind the NCIS franchise, and has directed five episodes of NCIS: LA, will direct and executive produce the opening episode of NCIS: Hawai’i.

Lachey, who guest starred on CBS/CBS Studios’ Hawaii Five-0, has been recurring on the freshman Fox comedy series Call Me Kat. Her series acting credits also include BH90210, also produced by CBS Studios, and NBC’s Truth Be Told. She is repped by UTA, Mosaic and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine.

Al-Bustami recently appeared on the independent series The Chosen and previously guest starred on CBS’ S.W.A.T. She also recurred on the CW’s The Originals and starred in John Legend’s music video for Surefire. She is repped by Stride Management, TalentWorks and attorney Mark Temple.

Antoon has appeared in numerous films and television shows, most recently as the pill popping Dr. Ken on the TNT’s dramedy Claws. He is repped by Viking Entertainment and BRS/GAGE.

NCIS: Hawai’i will join the mothership NCIS series as well as NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS next season.

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