TVLINE | On a scale of 1 to 10, how surprised were you back in April? And how are you feeling about things now, three months later?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | We were obviously surprised. 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.
TVLINE | What are you most proud of having accomplished over the three seasons?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | We did what we set out to do. We created a show with a strong female lead and a cast that reflected the diversity of Hawai’i and the world. We told interesting Navy crime stories. All while maintaining a workplace where people could hopefully do their best work and be valued for it. That gives us a lot to be proud of.
TVLINE | Turning to how the season finale ended, what can you say about the next words coming out of Maggie Shaw’s mouth? Did it have to do with Jane’s mom, teased earlier in the season?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | While not fully fleshed out, we had a general idea of where the Maggie story was going. It would have eventually intersected with Jane Tennant’s mother, but it was also going to move back into the dark world of Tennant’s spy past, using those stories to increase our understanding of who Jane was, but also to learn more about her team in the process
TVLINE | Was Lucy and Kate’s brief talk of weddings going to be revisited – perhaps pointedly — in Season 4?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | We hadn’t fully landed on what was going to happen in Season 4. But there would have been some movement. Whether it would have been a wedding, meeting families, or some other thing, we didn’t know.
TVLINE | In Season 4 might we have finally met Jesse’s wife and other kid? Or was the wife your “Vera from Cheers“?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | We started every season planning to meet her and she would have shown up eventually. (Hope springs eternal.)
TVLINE | Was there any other story or personal runner you couldn’t get to in the short Season 3 that was going to be a “must” during a full Season 4? For example, meeting some of Lucy’s family, keeping Peyton List around as Kai’s love interest, anything for Ernie or Carla or Joe or Boom-Boom… what have you.
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | We loved our repertoire of characters and we would have kept using them as much as we could. We were talking about Tennant’s mom and Ernie’s ex-wife, but other than following up on our cliffhanger, there were no “musts” on the list. Our goals every season were the same: tells good stories with these great actors.
TVLINE | The #SaveNCISHawaii campaign valiantly marches on, with such passion from that heartbroken ohana. What’s your message to them?
NASH, SILBER & BOSACK | It’s pretty simple… thank you. We loved our show, and the fact that so many other people loved it too is gratifying. They were the greatest fans we’d ever experienced on a show. And we share their passion and heartbreak. We are grateful that we got to be a worldwide ohana for as long as we did.