CBS has decided it’s time to say aloha to “Hawaii Five-0.”
The network announced Friday that the popular police drama filmed in Hawaii will end after a successful, 10-season run. A two-hour series finale will air April 3.
“It’s really sad,” said state Film Commissioner Donne Dawson. “It’s been an incredible run, and we are super sad to see our ‘Five-0’ family go. Besides being an incredible group of hardworking people, they have been tremendous partners for this state and in helping to keep our Hawaii Film Studio at Diamond Head running.”
The announcement by CBS did not give a specific reason for the closure of the show, which is going out at its peak, attracting nearly 40 million viewers this season.
The show, a reboot of Leonard Freeman’s classic series, premiered on Sept. 20, 2010, starring Alex O’Loughlin as Honolulu detective Steve McGarrett, Scott Caan as Danny “Danno” Williams, Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kelly and Grace Park as Kono Kalakaua. The four were core members of an elite task force tackling crime in the islands.
Kim and Park departed from the show in 2017 and were replaced in the eighth season by two new task force members played by Meaghan Rath as Tani Rey and Beulah Koale as Junior Reigns.
Today the show’s cast includes Ian Anthony Dale, Katrina Law, Jorge Garcia, Chi McBride and local actors including Taylor Wily, Dennis Chun and Kimee Balmilero.
Besides an ongoing bromance between McGarrett and “Danno,” and emerging romance between Rey and Reigns, the drama showcases Hawaii’s local culture and scenery, and had notable guest stars including Jimmy Buffett, Joan Collins and Ziggy Marley.
Dawson said the show’s economic impact has been significant, pumping tens of millions of dollars into the local economy and creating jobs that ranged from caterers to extras to location scouts.
The film studio at Diamond Head has been the ‘Five-0’ production team’s home for all these years, and the crew has become part of the community.
“Their presence was deep and wide in this community,” she said. “They will be missed greatly.”
Executive producers of the Friday night show for CBS Television Studios were Peter M. Lenkov, David Wolkove, Matt Wheeler, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.
“Hawaii Five-0 has been such a blessing to me and all of the people who have worked on this incredible show,” said Lenkov in a statement. “I truly learned the meaning of ‘ohana’ as the viewers embraced us and the people of Hawaii welcomed us with the privilege to film on their shores. I am forever indebted to the creative genius that was Leonard Freeman who gave us such a beautiful story to begin with. And my eternal gratitude to our cast, led by our hero Alex O’Loughlin, the writers, the production team, our CBS ohana, and most importantly YOU, the fans, who allowed us to come to work with pride and made our series such a success. Mahalo.”
O’Loughlin, who regularly appeared at “Sunset on the Beach” red carpet events in Waikiki, along with other stars, to greet and take selfies with fans, also issued a statement.
“This show has been pretty much every waking moment for the last 10 years of my life,” said O’Loughlin. “Everywhere I go on this planet, in every language, I am McGarrett to all these people. What we’ve done, what we’ve accomplished, it’s extraordinary. I can’t really put words to express my level of gratitude. I’m just glad to have been a part of this, a part of history, and I’m going to miss it. And to the fans, I don’t know how to thank you guys. Thank you for following us the way you have. I’m going to miss you. Aloha.”
After its finale, “Hawaii Five-0” will have produced 240 episodes. The prime-time series, which often wins its time period, has been watched by almost 40 million viewers so far this season.
The show also has a loyal fan base and social media following, and has so far this season generated 47 million impressions, 3.7 million engagements and 3.8 million video views.
CBS’s “Magnum P.I.,” another reboot of a classic series filmed in Hawaii, is currently in its second season. CBS has not decided on whether there will be a third one.
Dawson said 2018, when both “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.” were fully engaged here, was a record- setting year for Hawaii’s film industry, bringing 4,200 jobs and more than $820 million in economic activity.
“Peter Lenkov and the entire creative team behind H50 did a magnificent job in rebooting this iconic classic,” she said, “and Hawaii looked so gorgeous to the rest of the world.”
In “Five-0’s” two-hour finale, recurring cast members James Marsters (Victor Hesse), William Sadler (John McGarrett) and Mark Dacascos (Wo Fat) will return.
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