We’re only days away from the premiere of the new spin-off show, “NCIS: Hawai’i,” with star Vanessa Lachey taking the lead as Special Agent-in-Charge Jane Tennant.
The show dropped a clip of the season premiere in a Twitter post earlier today. In the clip, we see Tennant do what she does best: balance being a soccer coach, mom, and NCIS officer. What starts off as your regular youth soccer game soon turns into a police scene as officers tell parents and kids to clear the field. Tennant hands off her clipboard to her son, tells her kids she loves them, and hops on board the helicopter.
“It’s not every day your mom gets picked up in a helicopter during your soccer game. Don’t miss the series premiere of #NCISHawaii,” the show captioned the post.
Monday can’t come soon enough. Viewers will get a taste of both the original and “Hawai’i” spin-off on Monday nights, while the “L.A.” spin-off continues to premiere on Sunday nights. This will be the first “NCIS” show to feature a female lead, a position Lachey is “honored and humbled” by, especially as a woman of color.
The “NCIS: Hawai’i” star opened up to Deadline on what it means to represent the women of color who fill these positions in the real world.
“I hope [Jane Tennat] helps normalize seeing women in this position and that viewers will see how I can balance my life and my love for my country,” Lachey shared. “I can deal with being a mom. And doing things like taking her to school, and dealing with my ex-husband, and taking down a multi-million dollar crime operation. I want all the little [boys and girls], and women, and men, and everyone to see her and know they can do that too.”
‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Star Vanessa Lachey Discusses Her Role as Jane Tennant
Despite Jane Tennant proving herself as a good, tough boss, Lachey also appreciates her character’s softer moments.
“I hope people see her, this woman who is a minority, leading this group with grace, compassion, and vulnerability,” Lachey said. “For me, this is the perfect role because she’s human. She is vulnerable and has bad days and she misses being in love. At the end of the day, we sometimes just want a hug and compassion, and friendship. She gets a lot of that from her team but there are other vulnerabilities that will play out in this season but I don’t want to spoil anything.”
Lachey concluded with a surprising revelation about how the character has impacted her personally. “When I come into my real world, I actually take some inspiration from Jane and bring her to Vanessa and vice versa. I catch myself wondering, ‘I don’t know that Jane would do this?’ So let’s try to marry it.”
