Overview

The name Hawaii Five-0 is familiar to many, primarily because the original series first aired in 1968. However, since then, there has been a reboot of the show, which is what we are covering today. 

This show is a series which combines police drama, the procedural drama and action-packed scenes. A police force which investigates major crimes is at the center of this show, and the task force is in operation thanks to the governor of Hawaii. 

Those who also know about MacGyver and Magnum PI may be aware of the Lenkov-verse. This name came about because a show developer on Hawaii Five-0, Peter M Lenkov, also rebooted these two police dramas. They take place in the same fictional universe, with Hawaii Five-0 seen as having crossover episodes with them.

Premise

As you may have guessed by this point, the center of this drama is a small police task force located in Hawaii. At the helm is Lt Commander Steve McGarrett. This team has no restrictions in terms of its operation, and they only have to answer to the governor. In other words, they are granted complete immunity and resources required. They are tasked with investigating a number of dark crimes, from robberies and murder to kidnapping and terrorism. 

In terms of the team, Honolulu PD Detective-Sergeant Danny ‘Danno’ Williams is McGarrett’s partner. Chin Ho Kelly is also added to the team, alongside a new HPD officer called Kono Kalakaua. Meanwhile, DHS Special Agent Lori Weston joins the team for a while, and there is a medical examiner called Dr Max Bergman who works for the County of Honolulu. 

Cast and characters

• Alex O’Loughlin – Lieutenant Commander Steven J ‘Steve’ McGarrett
• Scott Caan – Detective Sergeant Danny ‘Danno’ Williams
• Daniel Dae Kim – Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly
• Grace Park – Officer Kono Kalakaua
• Taryn Manning – Mary Ann McGarrett
• Masi Oka – Dr Max Bergman
• Lauren German – Special Agent Lori Weston
• Michelle Borth – Lieutenant Catherine Rollins
• Chi McBride – Captain Lou Grover
• Jorge Garcia – Special Consultant Jerry Ortega
• Meaghan Rath – Officer Tani Rey
• Taylor Wily – Kamekona Tupuola
• Dennis Chun – Sergeant Duke Lukela
• Kimee Balmilero – Dr Noelani Cunha
• Beulah Koale – Officer Junior Reigns
• Ian Anthony Dale – Adam Noshimuri
• Katrina Law – Sergeant Quinn Liu

Filming locations

There are a number of notable filming locations in Hawaii which were used for this series. These include Diamond Head, Waikiki, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Ala Moana Beach Park, Pupukea and Ali’iolani Hale. Most filming took place in Honolulu, although other locations include Waikiki and Oahu.

Production

There had been a history of attempting to create a reboot of Hawaii Five-O for a while before this version made its debut. For example, a one-hour pilot for a series was made in 1996, but never made it to air. Warner Bros had also tried to turn it into a film, but these plans never came to fruition. 

2008 saw CBS announce that the 2009-10 television season would see the network schedule welcome a return of Hawaii Five-O, with a present day special focusing on Steve Garrett set to air. It was scheduled for Monday nights in a primetime slot, and it was hoped that the airing would benefit Hawaii’s economy.

Episodes and reception

Hawaii Five-0 has been on the list at several awards ceremonies. These include the Golden Globes, Primetime Emmys, BMI Film & TV Awards, Hawaii International Film Festival and Teen Choice Awards. Between 2011 and 2017, the show has been nominated 18 times and won 10 awards. The wins include the BMI TV Music Award, the Mahalo Nui Loa Award and Favourite Bromance. 

There are 10 seasons of Hawaii Five-0, and each one has between 22 and 25 episodes in total. There are impressive viewer numbers for each season, with only the last season dipping just under 10 million.