Vanessa Lachey to star in CBS’ ‘NCIS: Hawai‘i’ spinoff

CBS announced Friday that Filipina American entertainer Vanessa Lachey will star as Jane Tennant, “the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor,” as the network brings its ever-popular “NCIS” franchise to the islands with “NCIS: Hawaiʻi.”

Agent Tennant, cyber intelligence specialist Ernie (Jason Antoon) and Lucy (Yasmine Al-Bustami), described as “the junior member of the team,” will be investigating “high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of the island itself.”

CBS profiles Tennant as a woman in a male-dominated profession who has used confidence and strategy to thrive in a system that’s resisted her advancement every step of the way. She is also a parent “raising her kids mostly on her own” while juggling the demands of her career with her responsibilities to her children.

Lachey posted Friday on Instagram expressing her excitement about the new role: “To join the NCIS franchise as the first female lead and to do it on the Beautiful Islands of Hawai’i… I still can’t believe it! Thank You CBS for believing in me! Now let’s get to work!”

Lachey — born Vanessa Joy Minnillo in the Philippines — comes to the show with extensive credits as a show host, model and actress. She competed against her husband, recording artist Nick Lachey, on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2017.

“NCIS: Hawaiʻi” is the latest in the franchise of crime drama series that began with “NCIS” in 2003, starring Mark Harmon, followed by “NCIS: Los Angeles” in 2009 and “NCIS: New Orleans” in 2014.