 |
| With Filipino American Vanessa Lachey in the lead, the cast of 'NCIS: Hawai'i' reflects the state's diverse population. |
OPINION
Hawaii's popularity appears to have rubbed off on the newest TV show based in the Aloha state. NCIS: Hawai'i debuted Monday with pretty impressive ratings, which bodes well for the only series starring a Filipino American in the lead role.
Filipino American Vanessa Lachey plays the leader of the NCIS team in Hawaii, Jane Tennant. For the uninitiated, NCIS stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a unit of the Navy that really exists.
To tell you the truth, I've not been a hardcore fan of the NCIS franchise except to note the military law enforcement formula has been successful enough to spawn shows based in Los Angeles and the recently concluded New Orleans. Add Hawaii, with a huge naval presence in the state because of Pearl Harbor.
But this show got my attention for reasons that shoulld be obvious. I wanted to see how a Hollywood-based franchise handles Hawaii's diverse population in this time of hyper racial sensitivities. I'm happy to say, based on the first episode, race is not a central issue on this show. The racial diversity of its cast and colloquialisms are seamlessly woven into the show as they were an everyday experience, Diversity is the nation's most diverse state, according to the 2020 Census.
There have been too few shows on American TV wherein a Filipino actor was the central protagonist. Although Tennant's racial heritage hasn't been mentioned yet, let's hope at some point that her Filipino heritage will be mentioned.
Like many women in leadership roles, Tennant must maneuver her way through a field of testosterone-driven institutions and individuals. On top of everything else, she's also a person of color commanding a diverse team of individuals and she is juggling her role as a single mother raising a teenage son and young daughter.
I've only watched the first episode and I loved all the bits and pieces to make the viewer know they're in Hawaii with local ties, not some nebulous anywhere big city on the mainland.
Credit veteran executive producer and director Larry Teng, who grew up Chinese but a recent DNA test revealed that he was 51% Korean and Japanese. That's perfect for the multicultural Hawaii where Asians Americans and Pacific Islanders and mixed-race individuals make up the majority of the island state's population.
“Now that I’m back (in Hawaii), I feel like I have a responsibility to make sure that the community here, the people, the crew, that they’re all represented properly, you know?" he tells Daily Hawaii.
“(Hawaii) just did 10 years of a cop show with two white leads here. You’re going into your fourth year of Magnum with a Latino lead. And now we’re coming in, we’ve got two Asian leads. I think it’s important that the crew can work on something that they kind of get behind.”
Director and Executive Producer Larry Teng.
Lachey, who with husband and actor Nick Lachey, is raising three mixed-race kids of her own, loves the multicultural environment her children are being exposed to.
“There are so many Filipinos here,” she said. “I love when they’re like, ‘Vanessa! Oh, my God, you’re like family.'”
Teng made sure NCIS: Hawaii doesn't repeat the mistakes of other Hawaii-based shows where people of color are used like props. Other cast members include:
- The co-lead is Alex Tarrant, who plays Kai. Tarrant, himself is of Maori, Samoan and Niuean. Kai heritage, a new addition to Jane’s team who boasts the special ability to blend into the island while investigating high-stakes crimes. Kai recently returned home to care for his ailing father and to reconcile with his complicated past.
- Yasmine Al-Bustami protrays Lucy, who is the junior member of Tennant’s NCIS team. Eager to be the first one to find that key piece of evidence, create a workaround in the bureaucracy, or tackle a suspect down a flight of stairs. And yes, she's part Filipino along with Palestinian and Ertrean.
- Lebanese American Jason Antoon is Ernie, NCIS’s Cyber Intelligence Specialist. Ernie is a the genius who has a keen mind for technology, history, literature and all things Hawaiian.
- Kian Talen, a Filipino American, plays Alex, Jane’s oldest child, a 16-year-old who is strong willed and mature beyond his years.
- Noah Mills will play Jesse, a former big city homicide detective who’s returned to Hawai‘i. An expert interrogator with knack for good old fashioned police work, but Jesse’s also a devoted family man who runs 4-H camping trips for his kid.
Teng's commitment to the depiction of Hawaii and its people doesn't stop there. When taping began in June, he put out a opened the door to any of the locals who wanted to be on the show.
The goal is to have “all kinds of inclusion,” according to Shayne Hartigan of Honolulu-based Alessi Hartigan Casting.
“I’m so excited. We really want to get all, all kinds of inclusion in on this project, so of course, you know, the military, the HPD presence, but also the local community and shop owners and restaurateurs and anybody possible,” Hartigan tells Cheatsheet.
The natural beauty of Hawaii and its people, combined with the proven NCIS formula seems to have worked based on the show's premiere episode last week.
The original NCIS based in Los Angeles, in particular, dominated the ratings Monday night. The show's Season 19 premiere drew 8.5 million total viewers and garnered a 0.7 rating in the demo. While NCIS: Hawai'i didn't have as many viewers that tuned in, it still drew some big numbers for CBS. NCIS: Hawai'i had the third-largest audience of any show for the night (behind NCIS and The Voice). The new spinoff drew 6.6 million viewers and received a 0.5 rating in the demo, which TV Line noted was the highest retention rate of any new Monday show.
“Coming (to Hawaii) is always special. I wouldn’t have done 11 episodes of ‘Five-0’ if it didn’t mean something," Teng tells Daily Hawaii. "And honestly, in the last few years, this is our place, this is where we come, whether I’m visiting the guys working on the shows, or my girlfriend I go to Kauai or Maui or the Big Island.
“This will be a place where I always have a home, as long as I don’t screw this up. I’ll always have a home here and it’s always gonna be a question of, if there’s a fit, you know?”
(NCIS: Hawai'i airs on CBS, Monday, 9 p.m. Eastern.)
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, tips, references and wry observations, follow me on Twitter @dioknoed.
No comments:
Post a Comment