Beloved ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Star Returning to CBS on New Show

Alex Tarrant will be starring in the upcoming workplace comedy DMV, which has been ordered to series at CBS.

April 22, 2025, 5:24pm

Pictured: Vanessa Lachey as Jane Tennant, Noah Mills as Jesse Boone, Alex Tarrant as Kai Holman, Yasmine Al-Bustami as Lucy Tara, and Jason Antoon as Ernie Malik. (Photo by Karen Neal/CBS via Getty Images)

An NCIS: Hawai’i star is coming back to CBS.

TVLine reports that CBS has picked up new workplace comedy DMV to series, with Alex Tarrant part of the cast.

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The series, which also stars Harriet Dyer, Tim Meadows, Molly Kearney, and Gigi Zumbado, comes from executive producer Dana Klein. DMV is “set at the place everyone dreads going most.” According to Deadline, the comedy tested well and beat out Poppa’s House and pilot Zarna for one more comedy spot on CBS’ 2025-26 schedule. DMV, which is produced by CBS Studios, had to reduce its budget for series pickup consideration, and it seemed to work out in the end.

Pictured: Alex Tarrant as Kai Holman. (Photo by Karen Neal/CBS via Getty Images)

DMV marks Tarrant’s return to CBS, having previously starred on NCIS: Hawai’i for three seasons from 2021 to 2024 as Kai Holman. The series was surprisingly canceled last spring, and it even blindsided lead Vanessa Lachey. Even despite fan campaigns and petitions, CBS never reversed its decision and it didn’t find a home elsewhere. NCIS has given a few updates on Hawai’i since the cancellation, but as of now, that’s all that fans will have to keep themselves occupied.

Tarrant also recently appeared in the Acorn series A Remarkable Place to Die and Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Other credits include Night Raiders, Vegas, Mean Mums, SeaChange, Shortland Street, The Hunt, Filthy Rich, and When We Go to War, among others.

Pictured (L-R): Alex Tarrant as Kai Holman. (Photo by Karen Neal/CBS via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, DMV was among the many updates from CBS for the 2025-26 season and was not the only show to get a pickup. The network has also ordered crime procedural Einstein starring Matthew Gray Gubler and the newest FBI spinoff, CIA starring Tom Ellis. As for the comedies, DMV will join Ghosts, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, and The Neighborhood for next season.

“Based on award winning author Katherine Heiny’s short story, a single camera workplace comedy set at the place everyone dreads going most: the DMV,” reads the DMV logline. “Our quirky and lovable characters are making minimum wage, doing a thankless job where customers are annoyed before they even walk in the door. Good thing they have each other.” As of now, Tarrant’s exact role is unknown as well as the premiere date, but it shouldn’t be long until more details are released.