Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: Hawaii Five-0

HAWAII FIVE-0










Starring: Alex O'Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park
Based on the original series Created by Leonard Freeman
Written by Peter M. Lenkov (teleplay and story), Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci (story); Directed by Len Wiseman

TV remakes have not had too much success over the years but CBS has tried it once more with an elaborate remake of the 1970s classic Hawaii Five-O. This intense new drama series follows Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) who sets up an elite unit/task force in Hawaii alongside Detective Danny "Danno" Williams (Scott Caan), ex-cop Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) and his cousin and cop Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park). In the pilot, Steve tries to avenge his father's death by shady underground figure Victor Hesse and puts together his new team. Of course the classic theme song is back, it wouldn't be Hawaii Five-0 without it.

I have not seen the original TV series so I cannot compare it to that. It is certainly high energy if nothing else but the pilot played more like a shoot 'em up action movie with buddy comedy elements that was missing lots of important parts. It was almost as if they created to intricate a storyline to handle in the opening episode. Unlike other procedurals, it was the character development that was stronger than the storyline. The dynamics between Steve and Danno were obvious from the start as they did not like each other at first. O'Loughlin and Caan are both promising in their roles as are Kim and Park as cousins and friends. The opening scene of the pilot was intense but not the knockout punch one would imagine for such a hyped series and it was more violent than I anticipated. Still, it has promise if it can simplify the storyline. The ending in the pilot was unsatisfying because they hadn't completed the story well enough.

The Hawaii backdrop makes for some excellent exterior scenes and some fun elements you can't get in other crime shows. Hawaii Five-0 is one of the season's more promising titles and it's actually more important that the characters are good (which they are) than the story (which it wasn't) in the long run. The stories can improve. I wasn't blown away by any means but I was intrigued - it might be the type of show to drop in on from time to time but not a must-see every week. At least we get a theme song!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SEASON IN REVIEW: 2017-18 Miscellaneous Awards

As usual, I am ending the season with a few miscellaneous awards. The blog will be quiet this summer but I will continue to do the week ahead posts with broadcast TV news as it happens this summer. Then I'll be back for previews, pilot reviews, and more in the fall! BEST RETURNING COMEDY Superstore (NBC) - Superstore was awarded my "Best Returning Comedy" last year, but it only got better in season three. The funniest ensemble on TV took another step forward with some truly hilarious moments (the season premiere, the Golden Globes party, and the Christmas episode to name a few) and some major plot points moving forward. It also has the potential to be surprisingly sentimental at times. I think back to the first year of the show and how I felt like it had so many funny elements but didn't always bring it completely together. Well now it does on a weekly basis and it is one of those shows that just seems to be in the sweet spot of what will hopefully be a long run. ...

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Five (Part 1)

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON FIVE 1977-1978 27 episodes Season Five is the year where Fonzie infamously jumps the shark. It happens at the beginning of the season and while  Happy Days  does eventually decline in quality, it is not this season. In fact, this season graded out slightly higher than the previous season even though it doesn't feel as strong. I think that's because there's not a lot of outright stinkers in this season. It's a very solid season with the show continuing to hum along. There are some signs of the troubles to come but it doesn't happen on a regular basis in the fifth season. Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (27 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (27 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (27 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (27 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  ...

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Seven

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven of  That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SEVEN 2004-2005 25 episodes The seventh season of  That 70s Show  is the final season with Topher Grace as a series regular and also the final full season for Ashton Kutcher. Despite still having both of those cast member, the show finds itself flailing especially with Topher Grace's Eric, who is stuck in a terrible arc for most of the season. The show also brings many characters back at one point or another but everything just feels tired. This season actually graded out the worst for me. Even worse than the often maligned final season (more on that next week). Every title this season is named for a Rolling Stones song. Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman  (25 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (25 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso  (25 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  (25 e...