Jack Lord didn't just play Steve McGarrett. He basically lived the guy. For twelve years, from 1968 to 1980, the original Hawaii Five O episodes turned the islands into a weekly battlefield of Cold War spies, mainland mobsters, and local grit. It wasn't the polished, high-tech tourist ad we see in modern reboots. Honestly, the original show was something much stranger and often much darker.
People forget how risky this show was back then. Hawaii had only been a state for nine years when the pilot, "Cocoon," first aired. Most Americans in 1968 viewed the islands as a postcard of hula skirts and pineapples. Then McGarrett showed up in a dark polyester suit, sweating through his shirt while chasing a Red Chinese agent through a sensory deprivation tank. It was a total culture shock for prime-time TV.
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The Gritty Reality of Original Hawaii Five O Episodes
If you go back and watch the early seasons now, the first thing you'll notice is the atmosphere. It's not all sunshine. You've got these long, lingering shots of Honolulu's back alleys and the rust-bucket "Mongoose Manor" studio—a literal Quonset hut where the crew fought off rats and leaks.
The storytelling was surprisingly dense. Unlike modern procedurals that hand-hold the audience through every forensic twist, these episodes moved with a relentless, sometimes confusing speed. McGarrett was a "top-down" leader. He didn't care about his team's feelings. He cared about the Governor’s mandate and "Murder One."
Essential Episodes You Actually Need to See
- "Yesterday Died and Tomorrow Won’t Be Born" (Season 1): This is the one where McGarrett gets shot while jogging. It’s a huge moment because it forced Danno (James MacArthur) to step up and run the show. It proved the series wasn't just a one-man band, even if Jack Lord’s ego might have suggested otherwise.
- "King of the Hill" (Season 1): Yaphet Kotto guest stars as a Marine with a head injury who thinks he’s back in Vietnam. He takes Danno hostage in a hospital. It’s raw, it’s political, and it dealt with the Vietnam War while the conflict was still raging in real-time.
- "V for Vashon" (Season 5): This is the gold standard for TV trilogies. It’s a Shakespearean tragedy spread over three episodes involving a crime family patriarch played by Harold Gould. It’s arguably the best writing in the entire twelve-season run.
- "Woe to Wo Fat" (Series Finale): After twelve years of chasing his white whale, McGarrett finally puts Wo Fat behind bars. It's a bit of a campy episode compared to the early years, but the closure is legendary.
Why the Catchphrases Stuck
"Book 'em, Danno." It’s the line everyone knows. But in the original Hawaii Five O episodes, that line was more than just a meme. It was the punctuation mark on a very specific kind of justice. McGarrett represented the absolute authority of the state. When he said it, the chaos of the episode officially ended.
Interestingly, James MacArthur almost didn't get the role. In the pilot, Danno was played by Tim O'Kelly. Test audiences hated him. They thought he was too "boyish." MacArthur brought a steadier, more professional energy that balanced out Lord’s intense, sometimes theatrical performance.
The Real Stars of the Show
While Jack Lord was the face, the "Five-O" unit relied on local talent that gave the show its soul. Kam Fong, who played Chin Ho Kelly, was actually an 18-year veteran of the Honolulu Police Department in real life. He had seen the real-world tragedy of the islands, including the loss of his family in a 1944 plane crash. When he played a cop, he wasn't just acting.
Then there was Zulu as Kono Kalakaua. He was a local DJ and beach boy with zero acting experience. He brought an authenticity to the screen that you simply couldn't find in a Hollywood casting office. When he was eventually fired after Season 4 due to a disagreement with the production, the show lost a piece of its "local" heart that it never quite recovered.
Production Madness and the Jack Lord Factor
Jack Lord was a perfectionist. That’s the polite way to say he was a nightmare to work for. He had a financial stake in the show and basically acted as an uncredited producer. If a guest star didn't know their lines, Lord would humiliate them. If the lighting wasn't right, he’d halt production.
But you can't argue with the results. The show's high production values—shooting on location instead of a backlot in Burbank—made it a massive hit. It pumped roughly $100 million a year into the Hawaiian economy. It essentially built the Hawaiian film industry from scratch.
The Music That Changed Everything
You can't talk about these episodes without mentioning Morton Stevens' theme song. That opening drum fill and the brass section are iconic. It’s one of the few TV themes that survived for decades without needing a remix. It set the tempo. It told you exactly what kind of ride you were on before a single line of dialogue was spoken.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re looking to dive back into the archives, don’t just watch them chronologically. The show changed significantly over a decade.
- Start with Season 1 through 4. This is the "Golden Era" with the original cast (McGarrett, Danno, Chin Ho, Kono). The film stock is grainier, and the stories feel more like noir films.
- Look for the guest stars. You’ll see everyone from a young Harrison Ford to Ricardo Montalbán and even William Shatner. The show was a rite of passage for every working actor in the 70s.
- Pay attention to the background. One of the coolest parts of watching original Hawaii Five O episodes today is seeing a Hawaii that doesn't exist anymore. You'll see landmarks before they were surrounded by high-rises and empty beaches that are now crowded with resorts.
- Track the Wo Fat episodes. Khigh Dhiegh’s performance as the recurring villain is a masterclass in calm, intellectual menace. Their rivalry is the spine of the entire series.
The show isn't just a relic. It's a blueprint for the modern police procedural. It taught TV creators that the setting could be a character itself. Without McGarrett’s dark suits and 1968 Park Lane Brougham, we probably wouldn't have Miami Vice, CSI, or the modern Hawaii Five-0 reboot.
To get the most out of your viewing, seek out the remastered high-definition prints. The original 35mm film was beautifully shot, and the colors of the Pacific look incredible when they aren't buried under decades of syndication fuzz. Start with the "V for Vashon" trilogy to see the series at its absolute peak of dramatic power.