There are many police shows on television, and Hawaii Five-O has just put its foot in the door. What sets this series apart from the rest, however, is that Hollywood has come to us. “It’s such a well balanced show. It’s got character, crime, and comedy. It’s got great action. The main character of this show, no other cop show has. And that is Hawai‘i,” proclaimed Alex O’Loughlin, who plays the leading role as Steve McGarrett.
At the red carpet premiere of Hawaii Five-O last Monday in Waikīkī, the cast introduced themselves to thousands of screaming fans. The actors include Alex O’Loughlin, Grace Park, Scott Caan and Daniel Dae Kim. Alex O’Loughlin’s character, McGarrett, returns to Hawai‘i to hunt down the man who murdered his dad.
Grace Park plays a tomboy rookie cop named Kono, who in the original series was actually played by a big tough guy named Zulu. Scott Caan is “Danno”, the fish out of water who moved to Hawai‘i to get closer to his daughter. Daniel Dae Kim rocks as an ex-cop with great cheekbones, ready to bust a move.
The original Hawaii Five-O brought publicity, jobs and a bit of Hollywood to the islands for 12 seasons. That’s a lot of pressure for the directors, producers and actors involved in turning this remake into a success. The original had been so popular during the 1970s and ‘80s, that many have wondered whether it will be a hit for this generation, or if it’s to remain a classic.
When asked about this concern, Grace Park replied, “I think they’re going to be able to enjoy a whole new show of Hawaii Five-O. We have the original, we have people who loved it, and now we’re redoing it for everyone out there that might want a taste of Hawai‘i with a whole new spin.”
Thousands of people covered every spare patch of sand along Waikīkī, sitting on the edge of their beach towels as the show aired at 7:30 p.m. It is not hard to gauge that the pilot is going to be a hit, from all the clapping and yelling that erupted each time one of the stars slid across the hood of a car or blew something up. Apart from one or two painful dramatic scenes, and O’Loughlin butchering a few Hawaiian street names, the show was everything that O’Loughlin said it would be.
If you missed the premiere you can catch Hawaii Five-O on CBS Mondays at 9 p.m.