10 NCIS Characters From Canceled Spinoffs That I Wish Would Return

There are a bunch of NCIS characters I wish the franchise would return, especially after canceling their spinoff shows. While these characters technically lost their footing in the shared NCIS universe when their spinoffs were canceled, with the NCIS franchise, there’s always a possibility that displaced characters will return. One of the most memorable instances is when NCIS: Hawai’i returned LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna after the franchise canceled NCIS: Los Angeles in 2023. The character got a second wind on the island-based spinoff, reviving a beloved NCIS cast member while canonically maintaining the rich NCIS tapestry.

Now that the NCIS franchise has canceled nearly all its location-based spinoff series, the need to return existing spinoff characters is greater than ever. I can sense that the franchise wants to focus on more serialized content based on familiar characters rather than specialized offices. Still, when the NCIS franchise established offices in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Hawai’i, it introduced memorable characters and successfully endeared its fans to them. The franchise owes its fans the appearances of their favorite characters since the audience’s endearment to the NCIS characters is the “secret sauce” of the show’s 21-year record of success.

10 Jane Tennant

Vanessa Lachey Played The Agent-In-Charge

Vanessa Lachey’s Jane Tennant is one of the top characters who needs to return to the NCIS franchise. Jane Tennant debuted as the Special Agent-in-Charge in NCIS: Hawai’i in 2021. Lachey’s Tennant broke ground as the first female and Asian American to lead a series within the NCIS franchise. As such, Lachey brought critical representation to the NCIS franchise, which it failed to replace with the NCIS: Origins spinoff that took its place on CBS on Monday nights.

Lachey’s Tennant needs to return to the NCIS franchise because she’s a fan favorite and because of NCIS: Hawai’i‘s frustrating ending. The NCIS: Hawai’i season 3 finale ended with a cliffhanger regarding Jane’s old family friend and mentor, Maggie Shaw, who appeared in the final moments of the season 3 finale. That said, Tennant needs to return to NCIS to, at the very least, hear what Maggie has to say, but I also think it should bring her back regardless since she was the beloved lead of the Hawai’i series.

9 Tammy Gregorio

Vanessa Ferlito Played The Former FBI Agent

I firmly believe that Vanessa Ferlito’s Tammy Gregorio must return for several reasons. The former FBI agent joined the cast of NCIS: New Orleans in season 3, and she brought unique qualities to the series that improved the franchise. One of her exceptional qualities is that Tammy has sniper training and memorably served as the team’s sharpshooter in NCIS: New Orleans. Tammy’s excellent marksmanship puts her on par with characters like Leroy Jethro Gibbs, making her a franchise rarity: a female sniper.

Tammy also brought important representation to the NCIS franchise. In NCIS: New Orleans season 3, episode 9, “Overdrive,” the series revealed that Tammy was in a relationship with Assistant U.S. Attorney General Hannah Lee (Meghan Ory), making her one of the first prominent LGBTQ+ characters in the NCIS franchise. It would be awesome to see Gregorio return to the flagship series, where she could continue her relationship with Hannah Lee.

8 Sam Hanna

LL Cool J Featured In Los Angeles and Hawai’i

Sam Hanna is a popular NCIS character who has returned to the franchise once and could do it again. LL Cool J initially played Hanna on NCIS: Los Angeles, a former Navy SEAL assigned to the Office of Special Projects in Los Angeles. Hanna was perhaps an obvious choice to bring back since he played partner to Chris O’Donnell’s G. Callen for all 14 seasons of NCIS: Los Angeles. His character was well established as a decorated and capable veteran when he reappeared in NCIS: Hawai’i.

After the cancelation of NCIS: Los Angeles in 2023, the franchise added LL Cool J to the season 3 cast of NCIS: Hawai’i. Sam was sent to Hawai’i to work for the NCIS: Elite team, a focal point of the series finale. I assume NCIS incorporated Hanna into the island-based series to channel viewers from the Los Angeles-based show. However, adding Hanna distracted me from the developing NCIS: Hawai’i character dynamic. Hanna would be better suited for a feature on the flagship, and it would be great to see his character interact with the Washington Major Case Response Team (MCRT).

7 Ernie Malik

Jason Altoon Made A Hilarious Cyber Specialist

I also refuse to accept that we’ve seen the last of Jason Altoon’s Ernie Malik. Ernie was the cast of NCIS: Hawai’i‘s Cyber Intelligence Specialist, at the helm of all the team’s technical operations, similar to flagship characters Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) and Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover). I want to see Ernie return to the NCIS universe because he’s a truly unique character, filled with quirks and jokes that set him apart from the rest of the characters in the franchise.

Altoon’s character was memorable while successfully challenging the female technical operator tradition from the flagship series. I want to see him return to the flagship, or better yet, a spinoff series that can once again feature the specialist in a leading role. If the franchise never revives the Hawai’i-based spinoff, NCIS should consider replacing Kasie Hines with Ernie Mailk if Diona Reasonover ever departs the flagship series.

6 Lucy Tara

Yasmine Al-Bustami Played A Rookie NCIS Agent

There are so many reasons why I wish NCIS would bring back Yasmine Al-Bustami’s Lucy Tara. First and foremost, Lucy was a remarkable force for LGBTQ+ representation in the NCIS franchise. Bustami’s character dated FBI Agent Kate Whistler, another regular NCIS: Hawai’i cast member. Unlike other queer storylines in the franchise, NCIS centered on Kate and Lucy’s romance rather than including it as a side note, and their sexuality was uncomplicated and celebrated, making it a rare gem for the franchise.

NCIS should bring Lucy and Kate back to reincorporate diverse representations of relationships into the franchise. I witnessed Kate and Lucy’s relationship drawing viewers to NCIS, who might not typically feel drawn to the franchise. So far, nothing has replaced the representation that attracted “Kacy” fans. Still, the characters are irreplaceable, so I think the NCIS franchise should bring Lucy and Kate back in their own spinoff series or an NCIS: Hawai’i revival.

5 Jesse Boone

Noah Mills Was Hawai’i’s Second-In-Command

Noah Mills’ Jesse Boone was a capable agent just getting started in the NCIS franchise, so I think they should bring him back in the flagship series or another spinoff. Jesse hails from the cast of NCIS: Hawai’i as Jane Tennant’s second-in-command, making him a capable agent wherever he goes next. Jesse, who served as Agent-in-Charge when Tennant was unavailable, was a loving family man with a wife and children, making him another rarity for the franchise, which often prefers to highlight the more complicated family scenarios that life as an NCIS agent reaps.

Jesse could be a natural fit for the cast of NCIS: Sydney, the franchise’s only remaining location-based NCIS spinoff. Jesse could join the cast similarly to Sam Hanna, who found a new position in a different spinoff. Jesse’s NCIS return would be most robust if paired with Alex Tarrant’s Kai Holman, but the characters may be complicated to sell as a package deal.

4 Kensi Blye

Daniela Ruah Played The Los Angeles Agent

The return of Daniela Ruah’s Kensi Blye is one of the most necessary spinoff character comebacks for the NCIS franchise. From what I can see, fans crave the Office of Special Projects’ Special Agent’s return, and I understand why. Kensi was a likable character who we watched fall in love on NCIS: Los Angeles. Beyond that, Ruah’s NCIS return just makes sense.

Ruah directed an episode of NCIS season 21, making her one of the NCIS actors who expanded their roles beyond acting. Ruah also briefly returned to the franchise as Kensi in NCIS season 21, making a brief appearance via video call. Her recent NCIS involvement means she has current connections at CBS, removing some potential barriers to stepping back into her role as Kensi.

3 Marty Deeks

Eric Christian Owens Played Kensi’s Husband

Eric Christian Owens’ Marty Deeks and his wife, Kensi Blye, were beloved spinoff characters. Deeks was a former LAPD detective who became an NCIS liaison officer for the Office of Special Projects. As Deeks evolved in the series, so did his love for Kensi, and the characters wed in NCIS: Los Angeles season 10 in one of the best Kensi and Deeks episodes. If he returns to the NCIS franchise, it would be most satisfying to see Deeks return with Kensi at his side and vice versa.

Rather than appearing in the flagship or another spinoff series, the most satisfying return for the characters would be a Kensi and Deeks spinoff series, which could explore the agents’ lives together as they navigate their careers and parenthood, following the news that the couple was expecting a baby. The couple could pull their weight in a limited series for Paramount+, following in the footsteps of NCIS: Tony & Ziva, and I would definitely watch that show.

2 Dwayne Cassius Pride

Scott Bakula Played NOLA’s Agent-In-Charge

Seeing Dwayne Cassius “King” Pride return to the NCIS franchise would be fun. The return would be welcome to fans of the franchise since many believe that CBS canceled NCIS: New Orleans too soon. The NOLA-based series was canceled in 2021, officially becoming the first NCIS series to end. Bakula was similar to the Special Agent-in-Charge of Washington’s MCRT, Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs, which means there could still be a place for him in the shared NCIS universe.

The best time for Pride’s return would have been when Harmon exited NCIS in season 19, with King taking over as the leader of the flagship team. Bakula’s NCIS series ended in early 2021, and Harmon exited the franchise later that year. The timeline would have worked out, but the franchise opted not to go in that direction. Still, Pride could take over for Special Agent Alden Parker if Gary Cole stepped away from the NCIS franchise in the next few years, or he could collaborate with the supervisory agent on a case in NCIS season 22.

1 Henrietta Lange

Linda Hunt Played LA’s Operations Manager

Lastly, it would be a joy to see Linda Hunt return as Henrietta “Hetty” Lange, the Office of Special Projects’ operations manager on NCIS: Los Angeles.Hunt left the NCIS franchise before the series ended in 2023, exiting NCIS: Los Angeles in season 13 when Hetty left to embark on a long-term assignment in Syria. Hetty left a special place in my heart, landing her at the top of my wishlist.

It would be awesome to see Hetty return, and the most likely place would be on the NCIS flagship. Her long-term assignment in Syria could somehow overlap with a case the Washington MCRT investigates, causing the team to cross paths with the former operations manager. It would be even more satisfying to see Hetty return alongside her former cast members; she could join Kensi and Deeks in an NCIS spinoff series about their romance.