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The Best Episodes of NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1

Every episode of NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1!

Binge this in 15h 28m•Peaking at 7.9/10

Jane Tennant, the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor, and her unwavering team of specialists balance duty to family and country while investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    6.7/10(837 votes)

    #1 - Pilot

    S1:E1

    An experimental Naval aircraft crashes on Oahu, and Tennant and her team must find who is behind it before classified state secrets are exposed.

    Director:Larry Teng
    Writers:Jan Nash, Christopher Silber, Matt Bosack

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  2. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 2 - Boom
    7.2/10(633 votes)

    #2 - Boom

    S1:E2

    Tennant and NCIS must take down a notorious team of international thieves using WWII explosives on armored trucks before they complete their final big job and disappear. Also, Kai searches for a new place to live; Lucy and Whistler have a standoff about their previous encounter; and Ernie's mission in the field is more alarming than he expected.

    Director:Larry Teng
    Writers:Jan Nash, Christopher Silber

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  3. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 3 - Recruiter
    7.2/10(561 votes)

    #3 - Recruiter

    S1:E3

    Kai goes undercover with one of Hawai'i’s oldest surf gangs when a petty officer who’s trying to help wayward kids find a new path in the Marines is murdered.

    Director:Ruben Garcia
    Writers:Matt Bosack, Yalun Tu

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  4. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 4 - Paniolo
    7.3/10(542 votes)

    #4 - Paniolo

    S1:E4

    When a marine is shot, the team investigates. They start by talking to him, he tells them that he went riding and he got shot probably by a hunter. They check out his story and learn he wasn't telling the truth. They go back to see him but he left the hospital, not fully healed. They learn a relative came and helped him. They see the relative, who doesn't know much but they find a bag filled with drugs. They think the bag belongs to his son. So they try to talk to him but he disappeared. They think the boy was asked by a drug ring to deliver the drugs but he changed his mind which means his father is trying to protect him. But the gang will stop at nothing to get them, so they try to find them. When Kai's father doesn't see his doctor, Kai needs to put aside his feelings to help his father.

    Director:Larry Teng
    Writer:Noah Evslin

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  5. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 5 - Gaijin
    7.4/10(537 votes)

    #5 - Gaijin

    S1:E5

    When a Japanese sailor is killed on American soil and evidence links the case to the previous murder of the victim’s girlfriend back in Japan, NCIS must find the murderer before the wrong person is accused and the case triggers a diplomatic crisis.

    Director:Tim Andrew
    Writer:Ron McGee

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  6. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 6 - The Tourist
    7.5/10(539 votes)

    #6 - The Tourist

    S1:E6

    When Tennant and NCIS are tasked with finding a kidnapped globe-trotting social media star, they find that she is not who her husband, or her followers, think she is. Also, the team is at odds with Whistler, who has an agenda of her own.

    Director:Yangzom Brauen
    Writer:Amy Rutberg

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    The 20 BEST Episodes of NCIS: Hawaiʻi

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  7. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 7 - Rescuers
    7.3/10(495 votes)

    #7 - Rescuers

    S1:E7

    When a Navy petty officer is murdered, Jane and the team investigate while protecting the victim’s friend and colleague.

    Director:James Bamford
    Writer:Yakira Chambers

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  8. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 8 - Legacy
    7.3/10(456 votes)

    #8 - Legacy

    S1:E8

    When an anti-capitalist protestor is murdered, Jane and the team investigate and find themselves caught in a war between eco-activists and a tech billionaire fighting over a piece of land. Also, Jane and Captain Joe go on a date.

    Director:Lisa Demaine
    Writer:Yalun Tu

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  9. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 9 - Impostor
    7.9/10(493 votes)

    #9 - Impostor

    S1:E9

    The NCIS team investigates a cold case involving WWII-era bones on the 80th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombings, and are shocked to learn they belong to a 100-year-old survivor of the attack.

    Director:Loren Yaconelli
    Writer:Matt Bosack

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  10. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 10 - Lost
    7.4/10(445 votes)

    #10 - Lost

    S1:E10

    NCIS crosses paths with Whistler's team while investigating a shipping container filled with contraband weapons; Tennant debates arresting Alex's friend's dad, knowing it will cause her friend to move away.

    Director:Tim Andrew
    Writer:Jan Nash

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  11. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 11 - The Game
    7.6/10(457 votes)

    #11 - The Game

    S1:E11

    When evidence to put away a drug kingpin is stolen, Lucy goes undercover at an underground poker tournament to find out which high-roller is behind the crime. Also, Lucy’s feelings are in turmoil when Whistler’s ex-girlfriend arrives in town.

    Director:James Hayman
    Writers:Amy Rutberg, Noah Evslin

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  12. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 12 - Spies (1)
    7.6/10(452 votes)

    #12 - Spies (1)

    S1:E12

    When NCIS investigates the mysterious death of a Navy engineer, Joseph Chan, they learn the last person he met with was his colleague, Maggie Shaw, Jane’s mentor and friend, who’s been kidnapped. Also, David Sola, a New Zealand intelligence service case officer arrives in Hawai’i, following a lead that connects Joseph’s death to a Chinese black op secret agent.

    Director:LeVar Burton
    Writers:Ron McGee, Yakira Chambers

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  13. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 13 - Spies (2)
    7.6/10(451 votes)

    #13 - Spies (2)

    S1:E13

    While Jane investigates Maggie’s kidnapping, she’s shocked when she learns the truth and enlists her team and Whistler to prove her findings.

    Director:Tessa Blake
    Writer:Christopher Silber

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  14. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 14 - Broken
    7.6/10(426 votes)

    #14 - Broken

    S1:E14

    While Jane is questioned following Maggie Shaw’s arrest, the rest of the team investigates a mysterious case of Marines with damaged ear canals from a weapon that emits ultrasonic waves. Also, Ernie visits his friend, Dr. Tony Lee (Alec Mapa), to identify possible suspects who had access to his classified weapon.

    Director:Norman Buckley
    Writers:Jan Nash, Matt Bosack

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  15. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 15 - Pirates
    7.9/10(429 votes)

    #15 - Pirates

    S1:E15

    As Jesse enjoys a day sailing with his daughter, pirates suddenly seize their yacht, take all the passengers hostage and attack Jesse, leaving it up to his team to quickly locate and rescue his daughter.

    Director:Tim Andrew
    Writer:Yalun Tu

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  16. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 16 - Monster
    7.6/10(403 votes)

    #16 - Monster

    S1:E16

    Kai goes undercover as a chef in a local restaurant to gather intel on a notorious criminal kingpin who has a connection to the eatery. Also, Jane discovers that a school on the mainland has recruited Alex on a baseball scholarship, which he's kept secret from his family.

    Director:Leslie Hope
    Writer:Ron McGee

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  17. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 17 - Breach
    7.6/10(401 votes)

    #17 - Breach

    S1:E17

    When a ransomware attempt causes a dam to malfunction, Ernie and a team of hackers are tasked to find the culprit quickly, before all power and water is cut off on the island. Also, Lucy and Whistler work together, giving Whistler a chance to apologize to Lucy and mend their relationship.

    Director:Christine Moore
    Writer:Yakira Chambers

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  18. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 18 - T'N'T (II)
    7.7/10(454 votes)

    #18 - T'N'T (II)

    S1:E18

    NCIS Agents Nick Torres and Jessica Knight travel to Hawai'i when they learn a key witness in one of their old cases has turned up there with crucial evidence. The crossover starts on NCIS S19E17 Starting Over (I).

    Director:Lionel Coleman
    Writers:Christopher Silber, Megan Bacharach

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  19. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 19 - Nurture
    7.6/10(413 votes)

    #19 - Nurture

    S1:E19

    The NCIS team investigates a shipwreck carrying exotic animals that now threaten the native wildlife on Oahu. Also, Alex sustains a career-ending injury and Kai asks Melanie, a fish and wildlife agent, out on a date.

    Director:Lin Oeding
    Writer:Jan Nash

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  20. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 20 - Nightwatch
    7.7/10(411 votes)

    #20 - Nightwatch

    S1:E20

    When a navy seaman is involved in a murder, the NCIS team is called to work the case on their day off. Also, Lucy finds out Whistler turned down a promotion in D.C. to stay in Hawai'i.

    Director:Tawnia McKiernan
    Writer:Amy Rutberg

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  21. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 21 - Switchback
    7.6/10(391 votes)

    #21 - Switchback

    S1:E21

    Captain Milius returns to Hawai'i for a secret prisoner exchange operation and brings in Jane to be his personal security escort in the Philippines, where the exchange will take place.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.
    Writer:Noah Evslin

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  22. NCIS: Hawaiʻi Season 1 Episode 22 - Ohana
    7.7/10(428 votes)

    #22 - Ohana

    S1:E22

    Captain Milius continues to work with Tennant and her team in the aftermath of the prisoner exchange between U.S. and eastern Europe. Also, Whistler takes Ernie's advice and makes a grand gesture in the hope of winning back Lucy.

    Director:Tim Andrew
    Writers:Christopher Silber, Matt Bosack

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Pilot" is the best rated episode of "NCIS: Hawaiʻi" season 1. It scored 6.7/10 based on 837 votes. Directed by Larry Teng and written by Jan Nash, Christopher Silber, Matt Bosack, it aired on 9/20/2021. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "Boom".