Hawaii Five-O returns, after 30 years

HONOLULU — The classic intro music is the same, bringing back fond memories of yesteryear when all of us were 30 years younger and we were thrilled to the island adventures of Jack Lord and company in the hit TV series Hawaii Five-O. Even the storylines are almost the same — a task force of four crime-busters with a difference. A female member has been added to the force.

Yes, the good news is that Hawaii Five-O is back on television and it will premiere tomorrow, Nov. 14, on AXN at 9 o’clock.

The one big difference is that the main characters are played a new, younger set of actors lead by Australian beefcake Alex O’Loughlin (last seen on the big screen as the love interest of Jennifer Lopez in the comedy-romance The Back-Up Plan) as Steve McGarrett, the iconic role played by Jack Lord (who must be vaguely known to the new generation of televiewers as the husband of the late Farrah Fawcett of Charlie’s Angels fame, who later married Ryan O’Neal of the ‘70s hit romance-drama Love Story with Ali McGraw); Scott Caan (the son of James Caan) as Danny “Danno” Williams, the role originated by James McArthur; Korean-born Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, etc.) as Chin Ho Kelly; and Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica, etc.) as Kono Kalakaua, the new character in the series.

“We would have wanted to invite the stars of the original series but they are all gone,” said Peter Lenkov, one of the executive producers, at an interview here last Thursday.

The last surviving member of the original cast, James McArthur, died two weeks ago.

They say that good television never dies, especially when it leaves such a mark on the viewers and becomes a part of pop culture. Such is the case of Hawaii Five-0 which took a bow in 1968 and lasted for 12 years. It could have gone on for even more than 12 more years but Lord opted not to renew his contract. The original series, helmed by Lord himself, was iconic in every way, from his pet phrase “Book ‘Em, Danno!” to the trademark theme song and the picturesque scenes shot in Hawaii.

“Actually,” added Lenkov, “the series was originally titled ‘The Man’ but it was changed to Hawaii Five-0 to play up the fact that Hawaii is the 50th state of the USA.”

The new series began airing on CBS in the US two months ago and is consistently going up in the ratings. Yesterday’s issue of Star Advertiser reported that rating of Hawaii Five-O has been steadily rising, fighting neck-and-neck with the ABC drama Castle. According to the Star Advertiser report, last Monday night Hawaii Five-O drew an audience of 10.83 million viewers as per Nielsen ratings information released by CBS, against Chase’s 4.55 million viewers. Hawaii Five-O has hovered at the 10 million viewers level for four weeks, the report added.

Scott (left) and Alex play crime busters Danny Williams and Steve McGarrett, respectively

Hawaii Five-O is a contemporary take on the classic series about a new elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the Islands’ sun-drenched beaches. Detective Steve McGarrett, a decorated Naval officer-turned-cop, returns to Oahu to investigate his father’s murder and stays after Hawaii’s governor persuades him to lead the new team — with his own rules and full-blanket authority to hunt down the biggest “game” in town. Joining McGarrett is Detective Danny “Danno” Williams, a newly-relocated ex-New Jersey cop, a working man in paradise who prefers skyscrapers to the coastline but who’s committed to keeping the Islands safe for his eight-year-old daughter; and Chin Ho Kelly, an ex-Honolulu police detective and former protégé of McGarrett’s father, wrongly accused of corruption and relegated to a federal security patrol. Chin’s cousin, Kono, is a beautiful and fearless native, fresh out of the academy and eager to establish herself among the department’s elite. McGarrett, repairing his relationship with his estranged sister May Ann (played by Taryn Manning), vows to bring closure to their father’s case, while the state’s brash new Five-O unit, who may spar and jest among themselves, is determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state.

Hailed as “CBS’ Best New Crime Show Since CSI” by Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker, the revived Hawaii Five-0 has Peter Lenkov (24, CSI: NY) and Fringe/Star Trek alumni Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci as the brains behind the show.

Lenkov, who grew up watching the show with his family, said that the re-imagined series is a sentimental tribute to the late Jack Lord and indeed, bits of the original’s charm have been tastefully retained. For the faithful re-orchestration of the classic theme song, the team roped in some of the soundtrack’s original musicians and even sneaked in a blast from the past in the first episode. Steve McGarrett’s black 1974 Mercury Marquis sedan even makes a cameo.

Adding to the show’s star factor is the lineup of well-known guest stars such as Masi Oka (Heroes) who will play a coroner, Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) as a real-estate mogul, as well as James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) who plays McGarrett’s nemesis. The tropical romance between O’Loughlin and Caan brings the show up another notch with the buddy banter coming fast and furious and Caan especially, shines with his tough cop/soft dad persona who calls Hawaii a “pineapple-infested hellhole” and assigns the Psycho theme song as his ex-wife’s call ringtone.

As the most buzzed-about new series of the fall/autumn season, the reincarnation of Hawaii Five-O comes across as macho, brash and fun…with scenic locales, a star-studded cast easy on the eyes and slick action that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

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