When CBS Studios begins filming its latest version of its “NCIS” franchise, “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” this week, it will continue an unprecedented run of film and television production in the islands that has defied an economy hobbled by the coronavirus pandemic.

While tourism and other sectors in Hawaii are just now beginning to gain momentum, the film industry has been thriving over the last nine months, pouring millions of dollars into the state’s economy and creating thousands of jobs despite the virus.

In 2019, the last full year before the pandemic hit, TV and film productions in Hawaii dropped $355.6 million in spending here, according to the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.

“The film industry is the brightest spot on our horizon right now,” said Donne Dawson, state film commissioner.

Attracted by Hawaii’s low COVID-19 case counts and a 20% to 25% tax credit, which acts like a rebate on a percentage of production spending, Hollywood has landed in Hawaii like never before, as studios and networks scramble to fill the insatiable demand for programming fueled in part by virus lockdowns.

Six major projects are currently in production or recently finished, including the Disney+ comedy “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.,” CBS’s “Magnum P.I.” and “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” and a yet-to-be-named Sony TV Amazon production.

“When you think about it, prior to this the last time we had as many as four network shows on the ground and filming was 2004,” Dawson said. “It really is busier now than it’s ever been.”

Veteran actor and Honolulu attorney David Farmer, president of the SAG/AFTRA actors union in Hawaii, agreed. He said that after everything came to a halt at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, the industry came roaring back in the fall, and right now there’s more work than ever.

The union has taken over 350 work calls and enrolled more than 100 new members since the pandemic started, most of them in the last nine months, according to Mericia Palma Elmore, the union’s executive director in Hawaii.

“It’s come back in a delightful surge,” Farmer said. “And it’s not just a blip on the screen. This will move us forward and there will be all kinds of work available for our members.”

How did this happen?

Officials said the industry was quick to figure out the need for a strict set of safety protocols for its productions, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in September reached an agreement with unions on a Safe Way Forward policy.

Hawaii found the favor of producers in part because of its low coronavirus numbers.

“It was the low case counts that sealed the deal,” Dawson said. “After the first successful production, the word got out that Hawaii is a safe place to work.”

The first major pandemic production, “Temptation Island,” returned to Maui in late summer. After Maui Mayor Michael Victorino initially put his foot down because of concerns over the virus, he was persuaded to allow Season 3 to move forward by the end of September under strict coronavirus guidelines.

The show bought out the entire Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, and the filming was conducted in a “bubble” under stringent protocols. Some 9,000 COVID-19 tests were administered over the course of the production, and there were no positives. About 100 Andaz employees were rehired to serve the crew, and more than 80 production crew members were hired from Maui and the rest of the state.

Then, “The White Lotus,” HBO’s six-episode limited series scheduled to premiere July 11, took up residence at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. The premium cable network describes the show as “a social satire” set at an exclusive Hawaiian resort that “follows the vacations of various hotel guests over the span of a week … .” Stars include Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Jennifer Coolidge and a host of local talent.

Thousands of COVID-19 tests were administered to “The White Lotus” team, and only two tested positive. And, like “Temptation Island,” scores of hotel workers and local film crew and extras were brought in to work on the production.

“It really gave us a spark,” said Tracy Bennett, Maui County film commissioner.

More productions kept coming to the Valley Isle:

Maui-based filmmaker Stefan Schaefer’s “Millionaire,” with 90% local crew; the Hallmark Channel movie “Aloha with Love,” with 80% local crew; and the independent feature film “Paradise City,” starring Bruce Willis and John Travolta, also recently wrapped up. That production had a crew with 100 Hawaii residents and 100 extras. Next week, another Hallmark movie, “Maneater,” starring country singer Trace Adkins, is set for a four-week shoot.

In addition, NBC has inquired about shooting a pilot on Maui, Bennett said, and “Temptation Island” is scheduled to begin shooting Season 4 in September.

In total, Maui has hosted eight major projects that have injected $40 million into the island’s beleaguered economy, according to Bennett.

“It’s been absolutely crazy,” he said.

Over on Hawaii island, shooting begins next month on the third season of the reality show “Love Island,” which is taking over the closed Grand Naniloa Hotel in Hilo through August. The whole season will be shot in a bubble at the hotel, bringing millions of dollars in spending.

Dawson said another television series known as “Ke Nui Road” could start shooting on Oahu later this year. The series is planned to feature lifeguards and the North Shore surfing lifestyle.

In addition to the high-­profile productions, there are numerous smaller projects and commercials. “It’s shaping up to be a record year, an unprecedented level of production,” she said.

Dawson said the growing numbers of projects alone are enough to keep her and her handful of employees in the State Film Office busy. But when you add in the virus-related arrangements, special permits and other protocols needed to make these productions safe during the pandemic, the job becomes “exponentially harder.”

On Maui, Bennett is required to be on the set to make sure masks are being worn and other measures are being followed.

“It’s a bit overwhelming,” Dawson said. “There’s busy, and there’s busy. The COVID factor is a force to be reckoned with. You’ve got to be on top of your game. Every film office is working harder than ever, and it’s more complex than in the past because of COVID.”