NCIS: Hawai'i (Mondays at 10:00pm)
FBI: International (Tuesdays at 9:00pm)
The biggest issue with both of CBS's new fall dramas is that they aren't entirely new; they're connected, too deeply in the case of FBI: International, to existing series and make no effort to really include new viewers. They are cogs in the syndication machine, meant for the casual procedural viewer and the already-invested fans of their respective franchises. So for me, someone who dropped in to watch the first episodes, there's no reason to return (or to even think the show wants me to return).
NCIS: Hawai'i does a better job of establishing itself as its own entity than FBI: International, but that really isn't saying much. For a person who has only watched one single episode of the hundreds that exist across three previous NCIS series, Hawai'i was simultaneously overly expository and completely under-explained. For example, never did we learn what the hell NCIS actually stands for (I looked it up myself, and it's Naval something or other... so marine crimes, I guess?) or what their jurisdiction and/or hierarchy is. Are they part of the federal government, like the FBI? Or are they just highly trained naval officers? Navy cops? Ocean cops? Are they local? WHY AND HOW DO THEY EVEN EXIST?! I don't know.
But I do know that NCIS: Hawai'i spends its entire hour introducing us to an entirely new cast (a first for an NCIS series, which always began as spin-offs) with the most awkward dialogue possible. Jesse (Noah Mills, who recently recurred in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) is the new guy, and to let us know that, he has a conversation with teammate Kai (Alex Tarrant) where he literally says, "The new guy has a name." Then Kai reads back his employee file, essentially, including where he went to school and what sports he liked to play. That's purely lazy writing from creators Christopher Silber, Jan Nash & Matt Bosack. Rather than naturally allowing pertinent information to emerge within the story, we're solving a boilerplate mystery about a crashed military plane and need to just spit information out and get on with the next interrogation.
The one thing Hawai'i has going for it is that it is the first of the franchise to be lead by a woman, and a woman of color at that: Vanessa Lachey, in her first regular drama gig. She's fine as team leader Jane, if a bit underwhelming thanks to a dead-end script that gives her next to nothing to work with. Lachey isn't a magnetic presence or a commanding actress, but that also doesn't matter. NCIS: Hawai'i doesn't exist for anyone who actually cares about things like acting talent or strong writing; it exists for the old folks who leave CBS on all day and night because it's pleasant background noise.
That sentiment is even more palpable in FBI: International, which is impossible to divorce from its two predecessors because the pilot episode is the conclusion of a three-part crossover that began in FBI and continued in Most Wanted. I didn't know that when I sat down to watch International, so I was very lost the whole time. There were approximately 800 characters to keep track of, some old ones dropping in for one line here and there on different sets for different shows, and the new ones completely devoid of defining characteristics. There's something happening regarding a pedophilia ring, which makes its way to Budapest, where International is set.
That is literally all we find out in the pilot. There is less than zero effort made to introduce the new cast in any meaningful way other than "this is Agent Forrester" and the like. This show is very clearly not trying to attract new viewers with its premiere (they didn't even create and release key art, for crying out loud). If you weren't already on board with the previous shows, don't even bother trying with this one.
It's a big disappointment, but not a totally surprising choice, that CBS has gone with established names and recognizable shows for its 2021 schedule. I don't begrudge them that: broadcast TV is dying, and its primary audience is older people who are outside the desired 18-49 demographic. To appease them, you go simple and you go for loyalty. They've stuck with NCIS for nearly two decades, so why not try to have them migrate over to a new location like Hawai'i? Dick Wolf has proven popular with older viewers across networks, so why not try to hook those viewers into another hour smack dab in the middle of two other shows they were already watching?
But for new viewers, there's nothing here. For discerning viewers, there's less than nothing.
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