The summer departure of original “Hawaii Five-0” cast members Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park over salary disputes with CBS left fans wondering how the series would move forward in its eighth season.

They didn’t have to wait long, as the network quickly announced that Meaghan Rath and Beulah Koale would be joining the team.

Rath, 31, was introduced in the Sept. 29 season premiere as Tani Rey, a star recruit who was kicked out of the police academy for punching someone in the face and cheating on her final exam. McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and Danny Williams (Scott Caan)‚ who share a reputation for breaking the rules, find her character working as a lifeguard and recruit her to be part of the team. (Koale, a New Zealander of Samoan descent, debuted Friday as former Navy SEAL Junior Reigns.)

It may be unfair to call Rath a replacement for either Kim or Park; she said she was in talks to join “Five-0” several months before the two actors announced they were leaving.

“In reality, I was cast way before any of that ever happened,” she said in a Sept. 29 phone interview after a full day on the set. “I remember when I had a meeting with (executive producer) Peter (Lenkov), I was asking about what was happening with their characters and he wasn’t sure yet. He told me that my character was coming in regardless of what happened.”

The Canadian-born actress, whose mother immigrated from India as a teenager, is best known for the Syfy series “Being Human,” which aired from 2011 to 2014. She moved to Hollywood about five years ago, and has been on Oahu since July.

Coincidentally, Park also gained fame — and an avid following — on a sci-fi series, “Battlestar Galactica,” before joining the Hawaii-based show. Rath called her “Being Human” fans “the most loyal, loyal people I’ve ever met.” She said she’s heard from a number who are now watching “Hawaii Five-0” for the first time.

“It’s nice to know that maybe I’m bringing a different fan base to the show,” she said.

Rath said she shares some personality traits with her tough but engaging “Five-0” character, who is evolving as the show’s writers become more familiar with the actor.

“I’m a little more goofy and silly,” she said. “And seeing the scripts that are coming out, they’re writing me more jokes. I’ve got jokes, what can I say?”

Filming “Five-0” on location around the island is providing Rath with everything she needs to get acquainted with Hawaii and its people.

“A typical day is going to the most beautiful, magical places on Earth and hanging out with great people and learning about a different culture. What more could you want out of life?”

She said the biggest challenge in her new TV role is the physical demands of working on a show that delights in daring action sequences, car chases and gunplay.

“I’ve done a lot of work with guns before, but this is really specific. The show really prides itself on being real in the sense of how this team conducts themselves, the way they move, the way they work together,” she said. “It becomes this beautiful dance.”

SOME of the issues raised when Kim and Park left the show concerned the lack of racial diversity in Hollywood casting and pay equity for nonwhite actors. Rath, who is of mixed race, said she noticed the disparity at an early age.

“Growing up, the shows I loved on TV and plays I would go to see, not seeing myself represented made me feel like I could never be the lead of a play or a show because that’s just the way it was,” she said. “If I saw anyone who looked remotely like me, it would be a side character.”

After almost 16 years as an actor, Rath said “Hawaii Five-0” is the most racially diverse show she’s been involved with.

“First of all, there are fewer white people on set than any other ethnicity. The crew is from everywhere around the world; it’s the most beautiful thing,” she said.

“I just feel so lucky that I get to be part of a show that looks the way it does both on screen and behind the scenes.”

Although more progress needs to be made, she said, “At least we’re having these conversations. It’s on everyone’s radar.”

“Hawaii Five-0” shows 8 p.m. Fridays on CBS.