'NCIS': Katrina Law and Jason Antoon on Crossover Premiere, 20 Successful Seasons (Exclusive)

NCIS and NCIS: Hawai'i are back. The CBS staples are entering their 20th and second seasons respectively, and are kicking things off with a bang. In a special two-hour crossover event, the characters align once again in what will surely be epic premieres. In NCIS's "A Family Matter," Special Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) remains on the run with his ex-wife Vivian (Teri Polo). The team launches an investigation into who from Parker's past might have a personal vendetta against him in hopes of clearing Parker's name. They enlist the help of NCIS: Hawai'i's Special Agent Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and Computer Specialist Ernie Malick (Jason Antoon), who are in town meeting with Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) to prepare for a global military exercise, the group tracks down their prime suspect, The Raven. 

Things pick up on NCIS: Hawai'i's "Prisoners' Dilemma" where Special Agent Tennant's team, along with NCIS agents Nick Torres and Jessica Knight, discover plans for an attack on RIMPAC (The Rim of the Pacific Exercises) in Oahu, the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise. The episodes premiere back to back on Monday, Sept. 19, starting at 8p EST on CBS, and are available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Ahead of the premiere, Popculture.com spoke with NCIS's Katrina Law – who stars as Special Agent Jessica Knight, and NCIS: Hawai'i's Jason Antoon – who stars as Ernie Malik. The cast spoke on the crossover special and the show's success, and they shared a preview of what's to come on their shows this season.

PC: Everyone has been anticipating this crossover event since it was announced. When did you guys learn about it, and what was your excitement level upon getting the news?

KL: I think we started talking about potentially doing another crossover last season. So, we've been holding onto this gem for a little bit. And, of course, as soon as you find out there's going to be a crossover, I think there's a dual cast-wide petitioning of who gets to go where. I drew the lucky straw this time, so I got to go over again.

PC: So filming on location must have been a dream. How did that add to the experience?

JA: We're here in Hawaii, but I can't imagine how they decide who comes to Hawaii to shoot on our show, NCIS Hawai'i, because it's Hawai'i. We're in paradise. And who doesn't want to come to paradise? So, I don't envy their writers, and whoever decides which of the cast members gets to go to Hawaii to work.

PC: And Katrina, you mentioned that it was obviously a petition of who can go where, and you said that you got your choice again. So, could you tell us a little bit about what went into that decision, if you guys even know?

KL: Well, I think the biggest decision of getting my character over there was to shut me up personally because I nagged them until they allowed me to go to Hawai'i. Because one, I love going over to Jason's set. It's such a beautiful, well-run set over there. Working with Jason is fantastic. One of the highlights of the show for me. Getting to be next to Vanessa Lachey is amazing. And then also just getting to go to Hawaii. Jason has talked about before how Hawai'i is its own entity in this show. It's its own cast. It's essentially another cast series regular on that thing. So getting to be a part of that is really, really cool.

PC: Now, NCIS, the original obviously, is in its 20th season, which is a huge deal. What about the show do you feel has garnered such staying power?

KL: We are entering season 20, and it's overwhelming to think that we're in season 20, and we're still the No. 1 show in the world. And to know that the audience members have allowed me to enter into their fandom and be a part of their weekly household viewing schedule is daunting and humbling, and it's quite an honor. I think the thing that NCIS does, our world does so well, is creating a show with intrigue and solving a great case week by week. But then also, we're inviting you to come into our family and consider us one of your own because it's a very character-driven show. There's a lot of humor. There's a lot of love. There's a lot of heart. And it just leaves you feeling good by the end of the show. I think that's what really makes our show stand out.

PC: How do you feel that NCIS Hawai'i has added to its success?

JA: We learned so much from the OG mothership, NCIS, so we're just riding their coattails. And adding the flavor of Hawai'i as a character. That alone just tells so many stories that are so unique to the Hawaiian culture and dictating the stories that we tell and the locations that we get to shoot in. And that's exotic, and it's paradise. So, it's cool to be here and to shoot in Hawai'i and to tell those stories.

PC: Now going back to the whole crossover event, we know that Parker and Vivian are still on the run. But what else could you guys tease us about what viewers can expect and how everything may play out without giving too much away?

KL: I think there's going to be a lot of action tonight and a lot of great fight choreography to look forward to. There's a lot of romances that are brewing across the board. So as much as we're about solving the case, we're also about seeing who gets together and who doesn't. But I also think there's going to be some mystery as to whether could people be double-crossing each other. So there's a lot going on tonight, and I'm excited for the viewers to let us know what they think afterward.

PC: And what about the rest of the season on both respective shows can you guys dish out?

JA: Ooh, I could tell you a little bit about the fandom. Our fandom loves Kacy, which is the love relationship between Yasmine and Tori's characters, Whistler and Lucy. And we get to see a more domesticated relationship between those two as opposed to the push and pull of should they be together last season. And now they are together, and we get to see what that domesticated Kacy looks like.