Dhruv Trivedi
‘NCIS Hawai’i’ follows in the footsteps of previous iterations of the hugely successful crime investigation franchise and moves the action to a tropical island. The show — created by Christopher Silber, Jan Nash, and Matt Bosack — follows a fictional team of Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents who take on crucial cases of national security. The show’s premise stays as intriguing as ever, and its backdrop of gorgeous natural beauty makes for an exciting setting for the crimes the agents encounter. Curious about where exactly ‘NCIS Hawai’i’ is filmed? We’ve got the story!
NCIS: Hawai’i Filming Locations
The show, like its name suggests, is filmed in the state of Hawaii. Directors Larry Teng and James Bamford use multiple locations across one of its major islands to bring the show to life, and the series also uses some studio filming. Lensing for the first two episodes was seemingly wrapped up by July 22, 2021, and filming for the rest of the season was over by August. Now let’s take a look at the specific filming locations used by the show.
Oahu, Hawaii
The show, set in Hawaii, is filmed predominantly on the island of Oahu, which is one of the many islands that make up the Aloha state. The island is home to the capital city of Honolulu, and filming takes place at the adjacent Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The show itself is based out of the Pearl Harbor Office of the Naval Crime Investigative Service and therefore draws a lot from its authentic on-location filming at the Joint Base.
Filming also takes place on the famous Waikiki Beach in Honolulu County, which is a well-known tourist destination and relatively urbanized. The production also seemingly uses the Hawaii Film Studio, which is located about 15 minutes from downtown Honolulu and is situated on a 7.5-acre lot with a 16,500 square foot soundstage.
Congrats to @larryteng and @VanessaLachey as they start shooting @NCISHawaiiCBS. I can’t wait to see where we go. (I know that makes it sound like I have no idea where we’re going, which obviously I do. I just mean I’m excited!) pic.twitter.com/Dff2X6B6M4
— Jan Nash (@JanNash100) June 16, 2021
The studio is also the only state-owned and operated studio in the country and has hosted the production of long-running shows like ‘Hawaii Five-0‘ and ‘Magnum, P.I.’ The studio is located at 510 18th Avenue.
In fact, the show reportedly uses much of the production setup left behind by ‘Hawaii Five-0.’ Considering the production costs of these shows and the cost of transporting production material to the island state, it is a prudent decision to recycle as much of the ‘Hawaii Five-0’ facilities as possible and use it for ‘NCIS: Hawai’i.’
Lensing also takes place on the North Shore of Oahu, which is well-known for its spectacular surf spots. Production on the show started in the North Shore and was initiated by a traditional Hawaiian ceremony before filming began. Finally, the sprawling Kualoa Ranch, located at 49-560 Kamehameha Highway and famous for being the filming site of ‘Jurassic Park,’ is also used in the making of the show.
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