NCIS Showrunner Teases The Duo To Watch For In The Big NCIS: Hawai'i Crossover

Since its premiere on CBS in 2003, "NCIS" has thrilled viewers for nearly 20 years by growing more popular and influential than its original parent show "JAG." During its run, the series has gone on to become the number one rated program on television (via TVLine), and this is impressive considering the show is about to enter Season 20. Along the way, "NCIS" has spawned three spinoffs of its own, "NCIS: Los Angeles," "NCIS: New Orleans," and "NCIS: Hawai'i." For creators Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill, this is the kind of TV success showrunners dream of; the skills for pleasing fans of the franchise continue to flourish as Season 2 of "NCIS: Hawai'i" premieres on September 19, 2022.

The second season of "NCIS: Hawai'i" is expected to focus more on Jesse Boone's (Noah Mills) background while also enthralling viewers with more unique cases that make the franchise one of the best procedurals on television. But since its beginning, the possibility of crossovers with its parent show is too good to pass up, and the season premiere will do just that. In fact, showrunner Steven D. Binder has just dropped hints about a duo to watch out for.

Both the Season 20 and Season 2 premieres of "NCIS" and "NCIS: Hawai'i," respectively, will be two-part crossover episodes chronologically. The story will start on "NCIS," where the team is trying to get to the bottom of where Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) has gone and who may be out to ruin his name and career. Sean Murray (Timothy McGee) and his agents reach out to the Aloha State's Special Agent Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and tech specialist Ernie Malick (Jason Antoon) to help them in their search in both areas. Speaking to TVLine, Steven D. Binder talked at length about what to expect from the anticipated cast overlap.

Many are expecting the dynamic to watch for will be when or if McGee meets Ernie, but the showrunner played down that prediction by replying, "I think that just by virtue of Tim [McGee] having been around the block for 20 years, he's inherently not going to be as in awe of Ernie as one might expect. Now, Ernie might feel differently about that, but Ernie is the new kid on the block, so to speak." When answering what meeting to pay close attention to instead, he said, "The one to keep your eye on more is Jimmy (Brian Dietzen) and Ernie [because] they both have a fascination with Agent Knight (Katrina Law)." This makes perfect sense and is bound to be a real treat for fans to witness.