If you are one of the many Americans who grew up with network television, a crossover — when characters of one show appear in another show with a linked storyline between the two series — was always a big deal, especially if it happened with two of your favorite shows. In the ten seasons of “Hawaii Five-0,” they have only crossed over twice— once in season two with “NCIS: Los Angeles” and in the first season of “MacGyver.”

Yet, since “Hawaii Five-0” executive producer Peter M. Lenkov’s rebooted “Magnum P.I.,” fans have clamored for an epic crossover between the two Hawaii-based shows. This week’s episode, titled “Ihea ʻoe i ka wā a ka ua e loku ana?” which in Hawaiian means “Where were you when the rain was pouring?,” was the first episode of a two-hour winter premiere event, which had characters from “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.” crossing over into each series.

MEETING THE NEIGHBORS

The title for the episode is based on a traditional ʻōlelo noʻeau, or Hawaiian proverb and poetical saying, which is “a reply to one who asks his neighbor for some of his crop.” The title seems to reflect how McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) asks Magnum (Jay Hernandez) and Higgins (Perdita Weeks) from “Magnum P.I.” to assist Five-0 at the start of the episode.

McGarrett and Five-0 are in pursuit of an associate of Daiyu Mei, Wo Fat’s wife, who they failed to capture in the fall finale, “Kā i ka ‘ino, no ka ‘ino” (“To return evil for evil”). As they storm a Waikiki hotel room where their suspect, Brandon Powell, might be — Magnum and Higgins are surveilling Daniel Hong, who Powell is meeting in the same hotel. After McGarrett, Grover (Chi McBride), Junior (Beulah Koale), Tani (Meaghan Rath), and Quinn (Katrina Law) enter an empty room, Magnum calls to tell McGarrett that Hong and Powell have taken a hostage in an adjoining room. After a shootout and a chase onto the beach, McGarrett loses Powell just as he runs into “the guy on the phone” — private investigator Thomas Magnum.

As both Five-0’s case and Magnum’s case seem to be linked, and Magnum and Higgins are the only ones who can visually identify Powell, McGarrett askes them to work with Five-0. When McGarrett asks Magnum, a “neighbor” in a sense to Five-0, for some of his “crop” or expertise, the Hawaiian proverb comes to fruition.

MESHING WITH THE TEAM

Most of the episode is then spent with Magnum and Higgins helping Five-0 search for a Non-Official Cover List or NOC List, a list of covert operatives that shows their codenames and their real names, which Hong gave to Powell during their meet up at the hotel. And while Five-0, with Magnum and Higgins’ help, successfully find the list and keep it from falling into Daiyu Mei’s evil hands, what really made the episode was seeing how well the characters from both shows meshed so well together.

The scenes between McGarrett and Magnum were what every fan of both shows have been dreaming about. McGarrett driving Magnum’s Ferrari as they discuss McGarrett’s penchant for “always driving” and Magnum assessing that McGarrett’s partner is probably not “fine with it” was a perfect introduction of McGarrett — and a noticeably absent Danno (Scott Caan). And McGarrett’s questioning Magnum about being the “White Knight,” a fictional hero in a series of books written by Magnum’s boss, Robin Masters, was a perfect introduction of Magnum. It helped to establish both characters for those who do not watch either show.

Really, the moments where elements from “Magnum P.I.” seemed to click perfectly within “Hawaii Five-0” is what elevated the episode from just another weekly offering. Like when the team sees similarities between Magnum and Higgins’ and McGarrett and Danno’s partnership, or when McGarrett tells Grover that driving the Ferrari was “amazing” and Grover asks him to tell him all about it later. A funny scene with “Magnum P.I.” characters Rick (Zachary Knighton) and TC (Stephen Hill) when they give McGarrett and Magnum a ride to Five-0 headquarters gave us a bit of levity and established how well-known McGarrett is to other service members. It was also another way to show how easily the two shows seem to fold into each other.

There were a few serious moments, like when Magnum recognizes Joe White as a BUDs instructor from a picture in McGarrett’s office and asks if they were close. It not only gave McGarrett and Magnum an opportunity to show their sincerity as well as how much their worlds seemed to have circled each other long before they met. When Magnum tells McGarrett that “Us team guys got to stick together” we all hope that they see each other again very soon.

CROSSING OVER

The scenes between Higgins and Tani helped to create the set up for when Tani, Quinn, Junior and Kamekona (Taylor Wily) crossed over into “Magnum P.I.” in the second hour. In the “Hawaii Five-0” hour, Tani and Higgins bond over the shared experience of being in love with someone they work with complete with the complications and fears that surround their true feelings.

At first, when Higgins alludes to Tani that she knows what it’s like to have feelings for a work partner, Tani assumes she means Magnum. Yet Higgins explains about her relationship with a fellow MI6 agent. She tells Tani “If you find someone at work who brings a little light into your life, someone who makes you happy, you should pursue it.” Tani takes Higgins’ advice and calls Junior and asks him to meet her for a drink that night at La Mariana (which also happens to be Rick’s bar in “Magnum P.I.”). Junior happily agrees to the date. He is immediately grabbed from behind while entering his car.

Junior’s abduction sets up the “Magnum P.I.” episode “Desperate Measures.” Tani and Quinn come to Robin’s Nest to ask Magnum, Higgins, Rick and TC for help in getting Junior back from the baddies who want the NOC list. If you didn’t see the episode, Sunday’s “Magnum Reloaded” will recap and review the conclusion of the crossover event.

Overall, the first part of the crossover was exciting and completely satisfying for both “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.” fans. It was a perfect way to meld the shows together and show how well they work within the same world.

Wendie Burbridge writes the “Five-0 Redux” and “Magnum Reloaded” blogs for staradvertiser.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.