You know that feeling when you hear a theme song and your brain immediately goes to a specific place? For millions, those thunderous drums and the crashing blue wave mean one thing: Hawaii. But here’s the thing about the Hawaii Five-0 TV show—it shouldn't have worked twice. Most reboots die a painful, quiet death after one season because they try too hard to mimic the past. Yet, Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan somehow managed to take a 1968 relic and turn it into a ten-year juggernaut that, in many ways, eclipsed the cultural footprint of the Jack Lord era.
It's weird.
If you look at the stats, the CBS reboot ran from 2010 to 2020. That’s 240 episodes of "Book 'em, Danno." The original ran for twelve seasons, sure, but the modern version had to survive a much more crowded TV landscape where people have about five seconds of patience before switching to Netflix. It wasn't just the scenery. Honestly, the scenery is almost a character itself, but you can only look at Waikiki Beach for so long before you need a plot. The real magic was the "carguments."
The Bromance That Built an Empire
Most procedurals are boring. There, I said it. You have a lead detective who is grumpy, a partner who follows the rules, and a lab tech who explains science in words a five-year-old would understand. Hawaii Five-0 took that template and threw it out a window.
The relationship between Steve McGarrett and Danny "Danno" Williams was the show's actual engine. In the original 1968 version, James MacArthur’s Danno was basically a subordinate. He took orders. He was a professional. In the 2010 version? Scott Caan played Danno like a guy who was perpetually annoyed by the humidity and Steve’s blatant disregard for the laws of physics. They fought. A lot. Those long scenes of them bickering in the car—the "carguments"—became the show's trademark. It felt human. It felt like two guys who genuinely loved each other but also wanted to strangle each other over a tuna sandwich.
Peter M. Lenkov, the showrunner who resurrected the series, leaned into this hard. He realized that people didn't come for the crime of the week; they came for the chemistry. You’ve got Steve, the Navy SEAL who treats every traffic stop like a black ops mission, paired with Danny, the Jersey cop who just wants to see his daughter and wear a tie in peace. It’s a classic odd-couple trope, but it worked because the actors actually had a rapport that didn't feel scripted.
Why the Island Setting is a Double-Edged Sword
Hawaii isn't just a backdrop. It's a logistical nightmare and a marketing dream.
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Filming on Oahu is expensive. Like, really expensive. But the Hawaii Five-0 production became a massive part of the local economy. They used real locations—the Ali'iolani Hale (which served as the Five-0 headquarters), the Hilton Hawaiian Village, and various spots around the North Shore.
But there's a deeper layer. The show dealt with the "Haole" outsider dynamic constantly. McGarrett was a local boy returning home, while Danny was the quintessential outsider. This allowed the writers to explore Hawaiian culture, the concept of "Ohana," and the tension between tourism and real life. They didn't always get it perfect. Some critics pointed out that the main cast was initially lacking in Native Hawaiian leads, which is a fair point. Over time, the show tried to rectify this by bringing in actors like Ian Anthony Dale and Chi McBride, who brought a different weight to the team.
The guest stars were another level of "how did they get them?" You’d be watching an episode and suddenly Carol Burnett shows up as Steve’s aunt. Or Jimmy Buffett is a helicopter pilot. It gave the show a sense of scale that most network procedurals lack. It felt like an event, every Friday night.
The 2017 Casting Controversy and the Turning Point
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. In 2017, Daniel Dae Kim (Chin Ho Kelly) and Grace Park (Kono Kalakaua) left the show. It was a massive blow.
The news broke that they were seeking pay parity with O'Loughlin and Caan. When a deal couldn't be reached, they walked. For a while, fans thought the show was dead. How do you replace half of the original "Core Four"? These weren't just side characters; they were the heart of the procedural element.
CBS took a gamble. They brought in Meaghan Rath as Tani Rey and Beulah Koale as Junior Reigns. Junior, in particular, added a new dimension—a young veteran trying to find his place, which mirrored Steve’s own journey. Surprisingly, the show didn't tank. It actually found a second wind. It’s a testament to the "Five-0" brand that it survived a casting shake-up that would have ended almost any other series.
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Action, Stunts, and the "Michael Bay" Influence
If you watch an episode of the original 1960s show, it’s slow. It’s a noir drama. The 2010 Hawaii Five-0 was essentially a weekly action movie.
The stunt work was insane. Alex O'Loughlin famously did many of his own stunts, which eventually took a massive toll on his body. He’s spoken openly in interviews about the physical damage—back injuries, shoulder issues—that came from being "the action guy" for a decade. This is why the show eventually had to end. Steve McGarrett couldn't be a superhero forever, and O'Loughlin's body was telling him it was time to hang up the badge.
The show also excelled at the "long-arc" villain. Wo Fat. In the original, he was a shadowy figure. In the reboot, Mark Dacascos turned him into a recurring nightmare. The storyline involving Steve’s mother, Doris McGarrett (played by Christine Lahti), and her connection to Wo Fat turned a simple cop show into a serialized spy thriller. It was messy, complicated, and sometimes a bit far-fetched, but it kept people coming back.
The Cultural Impact of the Theme Song
You can't write about this show without mentioning the music. The original theme by Morton Stevens is arguably the greatest TV theme of all time. Period.
When the reboot was announced, there was a rumor they were going to synthesize it or "modernize" it with a hip-hop beat. Fans nearly revolted. Wisely, the producers brought in a full orchestra—some of whom had actually played on the original 1968 recording—to re-record the track. They kept the brass. They kept the energy. That 30-second intro did more for the show's branding than a million-dollar ad campaign ever could.
Real-World Influence and Tourism
Does a TV show actually change a place? In Hawaii’s case, yes.
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The "Five-0 effect" is a real thing. Tours now take fans to McGarrett’s house (which is a real private residence on the island) and the various shrimp trucks featured in the show. It created a specific image of Hawaii—one that is high-tech, dangerous, yet deeply rooted in family. While the locals might roll their eyes at the occasional "Hollywood-ized" version of their streets, the show provided thousands of jobs and pumped millions into the local film industry, paving the way for shows like Magnum P.I. (the reboot) and NCIS: Hawai'i.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
The series finale, "Aloha," aired in April 2020. A lot of people thought it was cancelled. It wasn't.
The decision to end was largely driven by Alex O'Loughlin’s health and the feeling that the stories had been told. The finale was polarizing for some, but it brought back the ghost of Wo Fat and gave Steve a moment of peace that he’d been chasing for 10 years. It didn't end with a wedding or a massive explosion; it ended with Steve on a plane, finally leaving the island to find himself. It was quiet. It was earned.
How to Experience the Hawaii Five-0 Legacy Today
If you're looking to dive back into the world of Five-0, don't just binge-watch the episodes. Here’s how to actually appreciate what the show built:
- Watch the Crossover Episodes: The show exists in a "Lenkov-verse." To get the full story, you have to watch the crossover events with MacGyver and Magnum P.I. It shows how they built a shared cinematic universe on a TV budget.
- Visit the Ali'iolani Hale: If you ever find yourself in Honolulu, stand in front of the King Kamehameha statue. That’s the "HQ." It’s also a real courthouse and legal center. Just don't expect to find a high-tech glass table inside.
- Compare the "Pilot" Episodes: Watch the 1968 pilot and then the 2010 pilot back-to-back. It’s a masterclass in how to adapt a story for a different generation without losing its soul.
- Focus on the Guest Stars: Look for the "before they were famous" cameos. You’ll see actors who are now leads in their own series popping up as "Suspect #2" or "Tech Expert."
The Hawaii Five-0 TV show proved that you can go home again. You just need a fast car, a grumpy partner, and the best theme song in television history. It wasn't just a reboot; it was a ten-year love letter to the islands, wrapped in a police procedural.