The Memorable NCIS: Hawaii Moment That Almost Didn't Happen - Exclusive
Like the highly successful flagship "NCIS" series and the spin-offs that came before it, "NCIS: Hawaii" sticks to following a crack team of agents who solve crimes related to the U.S. military and national security — this time at the NCIS field office at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Oahu.
In addition to the exotic island location, another major game-changer for "NCIS: Hawaii" is that Vanessa Lachey plays Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant, the first female lead in the long-running "NCIS" franchise. It was instantly a winning combo, with the freshman series making a major impression on viewers by featuring several memorable moments, from Lachey's spunky introduction to Tori Anderson singing her heart out in the finale.
But one of those unforgettable scenes was almost just a writers' room pipe dream, according to "NCIS: Hawaii" co-creator Jan Nash, who exclusively spoke to Looper about the recently released Season 1 DVD.
Lachey's introductory soccer mom scene sounded 'crazy' at first
Anyone who watched the 2021 pilot episode of "NCIS: Hawaii" will never forget the way Lachey was first introduced as Agent Tennant. Dressed in a pink camouflage-patterned tracksuit, she is seen coaching youth soccer when a military helicopter lands on the field and she hops in to go to work.
It's a moment that will always stand out in Jan Nash's mind, especially for what went down behind the scenes.
"I was lucky enough to be there for the very beginning on the shoot from the [pilot episode] — the day that we shot on the soccer field with Jane Tennant in her tracksuit and the helicopter arrived," said Nash. "I can still remember the conversation when [co-creator] Chris [Silber] pitched [the opening scene]. She was going to be a soccer coach, and Chris pitched the helicopter landing, and we had the idea for the camo tracksuit."
According to Nash, the memorable scene originally sounded too "crazy" to make it into the final cut.
"As writers, you say things out loud, but you say crazy things," she said. "This seemed crazy, but then, there it was. It was magical, and the whole show has continued to be magical in certain respects for us. I hope that will continue to be true for however many episodes it runs."
"NCIS: Hawaii" returns to CBS for a second season on September 19. Meanwhile, Season 1 is now available on DVD from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. The six-disc collection features over 45 minutes of bonus content, including featurettes, deleted scenes, extended scenes, and a gag reel.