NCIS: Hawai'i showrunners Jan Nash, Christopher Silber and Matt Bosack have spoken out about the show's surprise cancellation. In April, it was announced that the CBS spin-off would not be returning for a fourth season.
Opening up about the shock decision, the trio said they were "obviously surprised" and wouldn't have ended the season three finale on a cliffhanger had they known it would be the last episode.
"We were obviously surprised," they told TV Line. "If we'd known it was coming, we probably wouldn't have ended the series on a cliffhanger. The fact that the studio and the network didn't stop us makes it seem like they might not have seen it coming either.
"We loved our show and know other people loved it, too, but the TV business is a fickle mistress and one can't take business decisions personally. But it still stings," they added.
© CBSWhen asked if they'd like to see their characters pop up elsewhere in the franchise, the trio said: "The NCIS universe is an amazing place and it would be wonderful if any of our characters continued in it."
NCIS: Hawai'i wasn't the only show axed earlier this year as CSI: Vegas and So Help Me Todd were also cancelled.
Explaining the decision, CBS Entertainment's President Amy Reisenbach said: "I'm a big fan of TV first and I sympathise and relate to all the fans out there who are disappointed in the fact that these shows are ending," she told Variety. "But at the end of the day, our job at CBS is to make those really tough calls."
© CBS"We toss and turn and have sleepless nights and have endless discussions but we look at all the numbers. We look at what our projections are for the future, we look at where we see opportunities to potentially have even bigger success on the schedule. And we make those tough decisions."
© CBS Photo ArchiveLike the showrunners, the cast were also surprised by the decision. Jason Antoon, who plays Ernie Malik, shared his disappointment on social media. "This business is brutal and makes no sense," penned the actor. "But we had soooo much fun. Love you all and mahalo."
Jason had been hoping to step behind the camera in season four. Back in February, he told HELLO!: "I'm going to hopefully direct an episode of next season. There's talks of that. I shadowed a few directors last season to be able to see the behind-the-scenes stuff. You've got to put in the work and show the production team that you're serious about it."
