Category: Television

“NCIS: Hawaii” will welcome a new field agent, when the delayed CBS season of the popular island-filmed procedural premieres Feb. 12.

“Hawaii” will bid aloha – in this case, welcome not goodbye – to NCIS Senior Field Agent Sam Hanna, played by LL Cool J, who has joined the Hawaii cast, following his 14-season tour in sister show “NCIS: Los Angeles,” which shut down at the conclusion of the last season.

It’ll be  a recurring role for the Cool one, who is lending his presence and savvy during the third season of the Hawaii franchise, led by Vanessa Lachey as Special Agent Jane Tennant. Lachey also was happy for Hanna’s joining her here. “This is an amazing opportunity to continue evolving the NCIS franchise,” Lacey told  TVLine and the Cool/Hanna presence.

For Cool, it’s a continuation of the earlier crossover specials with “Hawaii” and “L.A.”

All in the ohana: LL Cool J joins Vanessa Lachey in “NCIS: Hawaii.,”

As the NCIS franchise’s key figures, Cool will bring add vigor and variety when he joins the team here  as a regular to the Pearl Harbor office’s efforts to stop Naval injustice. 

Noah Mills, who plays Jesse Boone on the “Hawaii” team, has expressed support of Agent Hanna on the island show. In an earlier “Entertainment Tonight,” after the SAG-AFTRA strike was settled, he said, “Are you kidding me? I’m so excited I got to work with him on the NCIS crossover ‘The Mothership.’ He’s so cool and just has such a strong presence and is an experienced actor. I mean, he was telling me stories, that guy was going to Studio 54, when he was 16 in New York. He’s done it all. We got a heavyweight coming. So, it’s gonna be great.” 

Cool posted on X, formerly Twitter, “Couldn’t keep Sam Hanna off the case for too long!!”

“NCIS,” the original flagship of the franchise, will also premiere Feb. 12 at 7 p.m., preceding the Hawaii show at 8 p.m. — a great lead-in for the local hit. …

Two musicals open this weekend

Diamond Head Theatre’s production of Lerner and Loewe’s “My Fair Lady” premieres tomorrow night (Dec. 1), for a run though Dec. 30. This includes extension dates, beyond the earlier Dec. 17 closing.

Bryce Chaddick is directing. Anna Young is cast as Eliza Doolittle, and Garrett Hols and David Young are double-cast as Henry Higgins. (David is the spouse of Anna). Eli Foster will portray Colonel Pickering.

Tickets: www.diamondheadtheatre.com …

Mo‘olele Studio’s “The Year Christmas Was Almost Cancelled,” a holiday original by Kyle Kakuno (script) and Roslyn Catracchia (music), opens tomorrow night (Dec. 1) for a Dec. 1 to 23 residency at Mamiya Theatre, on the Saint Louis School/Chaminade University campus.

The show premiered last season, and appears to becoming an annual holiday attraction. A pre-show as well post-performance program are part of the agenda, so go early and stay a bit later after exiting.

Many of the original cast are back.

Tickets: https://www.simpletix.com/e/the-year-christmas-was-almost-canceled-pre-tickets-151195#smtx-click …

‘Lion’ gross nearly $3 million

Five Broadway musicals have a lot to be thankful for – like grosses topping $2 million — becoming members of the $2 million club as leaders on the Great White Way. Apparently, the Thanksgiving holiday must’ve included a dessert of a hit show, if the Broadway League rundown is an indication.

The champion – Disney’s “The Lion King” – nearly topped $3 million, in figures for the week ending Nov. 26. The Top 10:

1 – “The Lion King,” $2,912 million.

2 – “Wicked,” $2,753 million,

3 —  “Hamilton,” $2,293 million.

4—“ Merrily We Roll Along,” $2,046 million.

5—“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $2,027 million.

6 – “MJ The Musical,” $1,384 million.

7 – “Aladdin,” $1,881 million.

8—“ Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” $1,284 million,

9—“ Back To The Future: The Musical,” $1,814 million.

10—”Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1,807 million.

The full list:

And that’s Show Biz …

Just when you thought that “NCIS: Hawai‘i’” was the last in the tireless franchise on CBS, along comes “NCIS: Sydney,” debuting Nov. 10  in Aussieland and Nov. 13 in the U.S. both on CBS and on Paramount+, the network’s streaming channel.

The Sydney project’s first season will be comprised of eight episodes

Did we really need another spinoff, while the flagship original (21 seasons and counting) and the last newbie, “NCIS: Hawai‘i” (this would be its third season) are sidelined and off-air because of the devastating Hollywood writers-actors strike?

Seems  the labor issues in America don’t affect the first international spinoff of “NCIS,” with Down Under actors and producers involved in the venture, taking advantage of one of the most popular trademark shows in the galaxy of procedurals.

Mavournee Hazel, William McInnes, Tuuli Narkle, Todd Lasance, Olivia Swann, and Sean Sagar on the set of ‘NCIS: Sydney.’

According to online resources, the Sydney “NCIS” cast will star Olivia Swann (DC’s “Legends of Tomorrow”) as NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey; Todd Lasance (“Spartacus: War of the Damned” ) as her 2IC AFP counterpart, Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey; Sean Sagar (“The Covenant”) as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson; and Tuuli Narkle (“Mystery Road: Origin”) as AFP liaison officer.

“‘NCIS’” is one of the most popular series in the world and we’re thrilled to expand this franchise with a uniquely Australian twist,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.

“With the addition of  “‘NCIS: Sydney,’” our studio and network footprint continues to grow in this fascinating world that has been a proven winner with viewers on both linear and streaming platforms. Featuring the stunning backdrop of Australia, the new series will incorporate the high-stakes intrigue, humor and camaraderie that have kept fans captivated by the NCIS teams for over two decades.”

Crime has no borders, so the  franchise is going global, launching the fifth “NCIS” team and the first with international roots. The catalogue includes “NCIS,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “NCIS: New Orleans” and “NCIS: Hawai‘i” and only the flagship show starring the original Special Agent Mark Harmon (not very visisble in the recent episodes) and the newest, starring Vanessa Lachey (the first woman Special Agent, anchored in Honolulu), still airing in the U.S., though disrupted by the Hollywood strike. …

Broadway grosses, week ending Sept. 10

Let the lion roar again.

“The Lion King” again rules over Broadway, topping the Great White Way’s Top 10 list.

Here are the leaders:

• “The Lion King,” $1.850 million.
• “Hamilton,” $1.746 million.
• “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $1.593 million.”
• “MJ. the Musical,” $1.515 million.
• “Wicked,” $1.487 million.
• “Aladdin.” $1.219 million.
• “Moulin Rouge,” $1.204 million.
• “Back to the Future: The Musical,” $1.079 million.
• “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1.056 million.
• “A Beautiful Noise: the Neil Diamond Musical,” $1.008 million.

The full list, courtesy The Broadway League:

And that’s Show Biz. …

“Magnum P.I.,” abandoned by CBS and rescued by NBC, just might be the fall season’s luckiest procedural.

First, it has a bunch of completed but not yet viewed episodes – dubbed the second-half of season five – when CBS rushed to cancel the show. NBC became the savior, like the good soul that rescues a abandoned child at the fire station.

This has been a tense, unexpected fall season, since WGA and SAG-AFTRA members decided to go on strike, creating a havoc for series that had to shut down since writers could no longer create valuable new scripts to film and actors joining the picket lines.

Because “Magnum” had half-a-season of episodes in the can, this was a gold mine, good enough for NBC programmers deciding to give the island-filmed, island-shot a solid Thursday night slot since fresh scripted shows were not available.

So on Oct. 4, at 8 p.m., “Magnum” wlll air where one of NBC’s prestigious  franchise “Chicago” episodes called home, since the “Chicago” shows – M.D., Fire and P.D. –are also off the radar, till new scripts are written and readied for production. The “Chicago” camp is not thrilled that one of its slot is going to be taken by “Magnum.”

Perdita Weeks as Higgins, Jay Hernandez as Magnum: Lucky and tardy?

NBC has released a trailer on the resilient “Magnum,” with Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, uttering “Doing what I do is risky,” as he leaps from a rooftop. But with a dramatic new edge, he admits, “When you least expect it, everything can change.”

That’s when Perdita Weeks, as his sweetheart-partner Juliet Higgins, tells him, “Thomas…I’m late.” Don’t think she means “tardy for a dinner,” so late, in adultspeak, probably means she’s hapai, missing her period.

The coy, playful dialogue could mean a little Magnum might be on the way, though this can’t be played out since episodes are already filmed and unless “Magnum” earns new life and more show orders, viewers won’t see the baby’s birth.

In addition to Hernandez and Weeks, “Magnum” also stars Zachary Knighton as Orville “Rick” Wright, Amy Hill as Teuila “Kumu” Tuileta, Tim Kang as Gordon Katsumoto, and Stephen Hill as Theodore “T.C” Calvin.

 All previous four season episodes pf “Magnum” are now airing only via Freevee, as part of Amazon Prime’s free-streaming service. …

Only a new development would give birth to more “Magnum” marvels. …

HTY world-premiering‘The Royal School’

“The Royal School” will make its world premiere at 7 p.m. today (Sept. 8) at the Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s Tenney Theatre.

The historic play brings to life a time and place where Hawai‘i’s ali‘I attended the Royal School, an elementary school still operating in Honolulu today.

Hawaiian leaders such as Kamehameha IV, Kamehameha V, Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Queen Lili`uokalani, Queen Emma, and King Kalakaua were together as children at Ke Kula Keiki Ali`i, the Royal School. 

The boarding school was established in 1839 by Kamehameha III for the education of ali`i children, all of whom could be called upon to lead the Nation of Hawaiʻi.

Goods and Cataluna’s play recalls the time when Royal School students often looked to each other for friendship and support to establish aa balance between the Hawai‘i of their ancestors and the changes of global influences, technology and political upheaval being brought to the islands.

The staging is modern with historic material, alongside original songs composed in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, as well as English/Hawaiian rap and mele. 

The production is designed for children 8 years old and up and will appeal to high school students and adults.

Catalulna, co-creator of the piece, said,“The creative team on this project worked to keep the story from the point of view of the royal children — some of whom entered the boarding school when they were 4 years old — rather than from the perspective of their missionary teachers or from the distant gaze of historians. In this play, the childhood voices of Hawaii’s kings and queens transcend time and speak to the children of today, the future leaders of Hawai’i.”

“The Royal School” cast includes Alysia Kepaʻa, Moses Goods, Damani Jones Timson, Annie Lokomaikaiʻi Lipscomb, and Kaonohiokalaealohilohinei Muller

HTY commissioned the new songs by co-creator Goods, music by Mattea Mazzella, and dramaturgy by Ryan I. Kahaʻiolelo Sueoka.

Eric Johnson, HTY artistic director, is directing an ensemble of HTY newcomers, including Alysia Kepaʻa, Kaonohiokalaealohilohinei Muller, and Damani Jones Timson performing with veteran company members, Moses Goods and Annie Lokomaikaʻi Lipscomb.

Jonathan Clarke Sypert is choreographer, Chesley Cannon and Eric West are set and props designer, Iris Kim is costume designer, Mattea Mazzella is sound designer, Chesley Cannon is lighting designer, and Kalani Pokipala is DJ consultant and musician.

After the premiere, performances will be at 4 p.m.Sept.16, 2 p.m. Oct. 1 and 4 p.m. Oct. 7.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.htyweb.org or by calling the box office at (808) 839-9885 ext. 720. HTY Members receive tickets for shows as part of their membership. …

‘Funny Girl’ exits with $2.137 million gross

“Funny Girl” and its leading lady, Lea Michele (as Fanny Brice), have left the building but not before posting a $2.137 million gross, topping the Broadway charts for the week ending Sept. 3. Nope, it did not rain on her parade.

Last week’s leaders, provided by The Broadway League:

1 – “Funny Girl,” $2.137 million.

2 – “The Lion King,” $2.077 million.

3 – “Hamilton,” $1.895 million.

4 – “Wicked,” $1.697 million.

5 – “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $1.674 million.

6 – “MJ, the Musical,” $1.591 million.

7 – “Aladdin,” $1.362 million.

8 – “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1.316 million.

9 –“Moulin Rouge,” $1.262 million.

10 – “Back to the Future: The Musical,” $1.234 million

And that’s Show Biz…

“NCIS: Hawai‘i,” the newest spin-off in the “NCIS” franchise, is in a vulnerable situation as the new 2023-24 CBS season rolls out in the weeks ahead.

The island-based, island-film series, which was to be in its third season this year, is nowhere to be seen in CBS’ awkward patchwork schedule which mixes reruns of popular crime shows with a cluster of game-and-adventure productions, some old, some new.

For “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” starring Vanessa Lachy (pictured left), the neglect is truly worrisome. Despite a now meaningless third season pickup, the out of sight, out of mind syndrome needs to be turned around. The show, like other scripted productions, is a victim of the writers’ strike which has shut down all scripted shows because a crew of writers can’t craft a show till the labor issues are resolved. The word is even if the strike is settled, there’s no guarantee “Hawai‘i” will get that pick-up.

Rumors and buzz have suggested that it could be over for “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” one of  two remaining “NCIS” dramas (the other is the flagship original), produced by Mark Harmon (pictured, right), which would be in its 20^th and possibly last season now, because it’s become an abandoned boat drifting at sea with no destination.

Who’ll rescue the show? Good question, but no answer available.

The on-going writers strike has had a damaging effect for months now, and imminent settlement is not in the cards. Even if the strike is resolved in the months ahead, “Hawai‘i” wouldn’t air till 2024, if it can still find a slot on the CBS schedule. It’s quite curious that CBS will air reruns of such established dramas and comedies as “Blue Bloods,” “FBI,” “Ghosts,” “Seal Team,” and “Bob Abishola” in the new season, but nope, not “NCIS: Hawai‘i.”

Interestingly, at 7.p.m. Sept 16, an “NCIS” encore episode will be shown, a teaser for another “NCIS” 20^th anniversary Mini-Marathon at 7 p.m. Sept 25, a one-time special in the show’s usual Sunday slot. Further reruns will air at 9 p.m. Oct. 2 and 9.

CBS has a batch of shows that dodge the need for new scripts, some standby returnees like “Big Brother,” “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race.” And the network will rely on rerunning series, notably “Yellowstone,” which already has aired on CBS’ sister station, Paramount+, but this will be treated as a “new” procedural  launching Sept. 17 as a Sunday fixture (7:30 p.m.) …

And that’s Show Biz. …

“Magnum P.I.” – the first four seasons of the CBS procedural – has been picked up by Amazon for its free streaming Freevee, beginning Sept. 1, according to TV Insider. This will be the only streaming venue to air the Jay Hernandez-Perdita Weeks show, which has been a ping-pong bouncing everywhere.

“Magnum P.I.” stars Jay Hernandez and Perdita Weeks will be seen on Amazon Prime’s Freevee streaming site, starting Sept. 1.

These original episodes were honed and developed at CBS, which surprisingly dropped the series, at the end of Season 4, which then was picked up by NBC, where previously-filmed shows of the second half of the fifth and final season, will air Oct. 4 on NBC, perhaps giving the filmed-in-Hawaii a possible edge in winding up in prime time again.

Currently, only NBC’s Peacock streaming site will air the earlier shows of the fifth season. …

The “Doogie Kamealoha” ‘ohana — from left, Matt Sato, Kathleen Rose Perkins, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jason Scott Lee and Wes Tian — have been denied a third-season renewal on the Disney Channel.

Elsewhere, it’s aloha – meaning goodbye – for  “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.,” the Disney+ streamer which filmed two seasons in Hawaii, won’t get a third season pickup. The show, starring Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Lahela Kamealoha, aka “Doogie,” was pink-slipped Aug. 25, according to Variety.

“Doogie” is one of two Disney projects shut down because of the unresolved, embattled writers guild strike that has stopped production of nearly all new and ongoing movies and TV shows, in prime time as well as in the widening streaming market, which has been a hot button for actors demanding payment, an issue which has been an under-the-radar till current negotiations.

The other local Disney show also stalled by the strike is “Lilo and Stich,” a live-action film based on the animated film set in Hawaii. It’s still on the agenda, but “Doogie” failed to earn a third-season pickup.

“Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” was created by Kourtney Kang, who executive produced alongside Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan, Dayna Bochco, Jesse Bochco, Matt Kuhn and Justin McEwen.

A credible ‘ohana bond included Kathleen Rose Perkins as Dr. Clara Hannon, Lahela’s mother who’s also her supervisor at the hospital; Jason Scott Lee as Benny, Lahela’s father; Matt Sato as Kai, her older brother; Wes Tian as Brian Patrick, her younger brother; Emma Meisel as Steph, her BFF, Alex Aiono as Walter, her first boyfriend; Milo Manheim as Nico, her patient and new love interest. The show also boasted Al Harrington in his final TV role as an uncle, before his death. …

Broadway grosses, for week ending Aug. 20

There’s no newbie in the Lucky 7 $1 million club on Broadway.

Translation: The leaders still lead.

The Top 7 on the Great White Way are:

1– “The Lion King,” $2.226 million.

2–“Hamilton,: $1.904 million.

3 — “”Wicked,”: $1.559 million.

4 — “MJ, the Musical,” $1.451 million.

5–“Aladdin, $1.381 million.

6– “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barbor of Fleet Street,” $1.325 millon.

7–“Back to the Future, the Musical,” $1.258 million.

Here’s the entire list of the week’s grosses:

And that’s Show Biz. …