Welcome to the Tiki Central 2.0 Beta. Read the announcement
Celebrating classic and modern Polynesian Pop

Tiki Central / General Tiki

Hawaii Five-O 2.0

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 248 replies

From The Hollywood Reporter

'Hawaii Five-O' 2.0 set up at CBS
'Criminal Minds' showrunner in for new take on franchise

By Nellie Andreeva

Aug 12, 2008, 01:00 AM ET

"Hawaii Five-O"
CBS is saying aloha to a new installment of the "Hawaii Five-O" franchise from "Criminal Minds" exec producer/showrunner Ed Bernero.

The new take on the popular crime drama, which aired on CBS from 1968-80, is one of three projects Bernero has in the works, along with "Washington Field," which is being done in cooperation with the FBI, and a fugitive apprehension drama.

Bernero is such a big "Hawaii Five-O" fan that he has the iconic theme song from the show as his ringtone. He said he didn't even hesitate when execs at CBS Par TV, where he has an overall deal, approached him with the idea for a new incarnation of the classic Leonard Freeman cop series.

Bernero is writing the project, which he describes as " 'Hawaii Five-O' 2.0."

Like the original series, it is a procedural chronicling the workings of the fictional Hawaiian state police department. In the original, the unit was headed by Steve McGarrett, played by Jack Lord. In the new series, McGarrett's son Chris will be the top cop.

While the characters, storytelling and pacing will be updated, "we will try to keep as much of the original show as possible," Bernero said. "I'm not trying to reinvent it."

The famous opening music will be back but may also get a face-lift, much in the vein of the theme from the 1966-73 series "Mission: Impossible," which was rearranged for the 1990s movie franchise.

As for the staple "Book 'em, Danno" closing line, there will be a version of it in the new installment, Bernero said.

"Five-O," which would be filmed in Hawaii, is the second classic cop series that CBS is looking to bring back. The network also is developing an updated "Streets of San Francisco," penned by Sheldon Turner.

The two would give CBS more procedurals in distinct locales to complement its "CSI" series set in Las Vegas, Miami and New York.

Like several other classic cop series such as "Starsky & Hutch" and "Miami Vice," which have made the leap to the big screen, there has been an attempt to make a "Five-0" feature, but the project, set at Warner Bros., has been dormant for a while.

"Washington Field," also set up at CBS, is named after FBI's Washington Field Office that houses the National Capital Response Squad, an unit comprising elite experts in different areas who travel around the world, responding to events that concern the U.S. national interest.

"If the police need help, they call them," said Bernero, who is penning the project with brothers Jim and Tim Clemente. "It's almost like 'The A-Team,' but it's real."

Jim Clemente, an FBI profiler, has written an episode of "Criminal Minds." Tim Clemente is a former terrorism expert on NCRS.

FBI is opening its doors to "Washington Field." For example, the show would be able to film in the agencies' facilities and use the "from the files of the FBI" logo.

The third project UTA-repped Bernero has in the works at CBS Par TV centers on the FBI's fugitive apprehension unit.

"The main character is a woman who is the daughter of a fugitive, so she has an unique eye to how they run and hide," Bernero said.

The idea was pitched to him by novelist Joseph Finder and his brother Henry, New Yorker editorial director. The two will pen the script with Bernero supervising.

Man, this scares me.

"The famous opening music will be back but may also get a face-lift, much in the vein of the theme from the 1966-73 series "Mission: Impossible," which was rearranged for the 1990s movie franchise."

Lemme Guess.....Some Hip Hop / electronica version of the song, done by, let's see MOBY or the Chemical Brothers. Predictable........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

If they were smart, they'd use "Martini 5-0" by the Blue Hawaiians somewhere in the series as a variation of the theme song recurring throughout the show.

I'm weary of someone f*ckin' with Hawaii 5-0 as a tv show, but, I guess it will be good for the Hawaii economy to be filming there.


Do you have your TIKIYAKI ORCHESTRA CD YET ?
http://www.tikiyakiorchestra.com

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2008-08-12 11:18 ]

We can all just hope for the best. At least it is not being done as a campy crappy comedy like what they did to poor old Starsky and Hutch. Remakes usually suck although I thought the Battlestar Galactica 2.0 wasn't so bad for the first couple of seasons.

Tikiyaki-I like your picks for doing a new version of the theme song.



Chongolio.com
Myspace
Barefoot bloggin'

In case anyone cares my ringtone is the Hawaii Five O theme. And if someone from CBS checks this out. I'm to help produce on the 2.0 version!

On 2008-08-12 11:40, Chongolio wrote:
We can all just hope for the best. At least it is not being done as a campy crappy comedy like what they did to poor old Starsky and Hutch. Remakes usually suck although I thought the Battlestar Galactica 2.0 wasn't so bad for the first couple of seasons.

Tikiyaki-I like your picks for doing a new version of the theme song.



Chongolio.com
Myspace
Barefoot bloggin'

Funny, I LOVED the Starsky and Hutch movie.

I prefer that to updating it and taking it out of the 70's. I like that they kept it in the 70's, and added a little humor to it.

Sneakyjack, if you are the guy they're talking about in the article, I hope you do it justice. It was such a cool show.

T

[i]On 2008-08-12 11:17, tikiyaki wrote:
If they were smart, they'd use "Martini 5-0" by the Blue Hawaiians somewhere in the series as a variation of the theme song recurring throughout the show.

Yes! That blew me away the first time I heard it!

I'm also a little wary of any attempt to re-invent 5-O, but I'll wait to pass judgment on it until I see it.

M

Dittos on 'Martini 5-0', but only if the show lives up to the tune.

Maybe I'll get into some background scenes like I managed in the original...
But meeting 'Chis' will never be like shaking hands and talking with Lord/McGarrett!

Double Chin Ho!

Bottom line...I'll watch it once, if its cool, I'll keep watching...if not, then I won't.

I find the best thing for me to do is not to compare it to the original. Like Oceans 11.....It's an Okay movie on its own, but you can't compare it to the original...its completely different...apples and oranges.

The question is, just like Oceans 11, why do they need to tag the name on to it? Can't they just make a new Hawaii series that borrows the concept without making it "Hawaii five-0 2.0"?

Besides, if I wanted to see a hawaii five-0 wanna-be I'd just watch David Caruso do his best Jack Lord imitation on csi miami.

The problem for me is, it will lack the one thing I love about hawaii five-0....the time setting. I think a large part of why we all watch it is for the old cars, the scenic shots, the cool bars, the clothes, and the hotels. Its a chance to see hawaii in the time setting we enjoy and wish was still around. Its a chance to see hotels we have mugs for, postcards come to life, and people wearing the fashion we search for in thrift stores. The new show cannot possibly give us that.

While I hope for the best, I won't lose any sleep over it.

On 2008-08-13 00:53, ErichTroudt wrote:
The problem for me is, it will lack the one thing I love about hawaii five-0....the time setting. I think a large part of why we all watch it is for the old cars, the scenic shots, the cool bars, the clothes, and the hotels. Its a chance to see hawaii in the time setting we enjoy and wish was still around. Its a chance to see hotels we have mugs for, postcards come to life, and people wearing the fashion we search for in thrift stores. The new show cannot possibly give us that.

Right on, braddah.
KG

G

On 2008-08-13 00:53, ErichTroudt wrote:
The problem for me is, it will lack the one thing I love about hawaii five-0....the time setting.

Very true since this one will not be set in the same time period. Hawaii Five-0 was set in the 70s, but if you're looking for a new show that manages to truly capture the cool late 50s-early 60s vibe, watch Mad Men. They get it all correct: the clothes, the language, the sexism, the hairstyles, the furniture, and the constant drinking and smoking. Ah, the good ol' days...

On 2008-08-13 00:53, ErichTroudt wrote:
Bottom line...I'll watch it once, if its cool, I'll keep watching...if not, then I won't.

I find the best thing for me to do is not to compare it to the original. Like Oceans 11.....It's an Okay movie on its own, but you can't compare it to the original...its completely different...apples and oranges.

The question is, just like Oceans 11, why do they need to tag the name on to it? Can't they just make a new Hawaii series that borrows the concept without making it "Hawaii five-0 2.0"?

Besides, if I wanted to see a hawaii five-0 wanna-be I'd just watch David Caruso do his best Jack Lord imitation on csi miami.

The problem for me is, it will lack the one thing I love about hawaii five-0....the time setting. I think a large part of why we all watch it is for the old cars, the scenic shots, the cool bars, the clothes, and the hotels. Its a chance to see hawaii in the time setting we enjoy and wish was still around. Its a chance to see hotels we have mugs for, postcards come to life, and people wearing the fashion we search for in thrift stores. The new show cannot possibly give us that.

While I hope for the best, I won't lose any sleep over it.

I couldnt have said it better myself. When they are driving around im just scanning the backround scenery to catch a glimpse of a familiar place before it was developed or in rare occasions still preserved. That show transports me back to a time that i only wish i could have seen and been in. Any day prior to today meant less "Progress" and more Aloha.

Article in Honolulu Star Bulletin

http://starbulletin.com/2008/08/13/news/story02.html

Erichtroudt and Mongoloid, I'm in total agreement with you both.

I love seeing the the stuff on DVD and seeing the parts of Oahu that I recognize, 40 years earlier.

In season 1, there is even a scene where McGarrett goes to Burbank to find someone and I can see what is now the Chandler Bike path, only back then it was still train tracks.

The real appeal is indeed, the Hawaii of the 60's and 70's.

Also great is how the youth "counter culture" was almost always the bad guys in the old series. Hearing Gavin McCleod (Capt Stubing from the Love Boat) as a jive talkin, drug pushin thug (Big Chicken) in 5-0 is just Too funny. Plus that opening sequence is C L A S S I C !!!

It was the golden age of Hawaii, the Hawaii we celebrate at our tiki events. So this new version will probably not appeal to us.

I still like seeing Hawaii on TV tho, so it may still be cool to check out.

If you have KDOC its still on every day at 2:00 p.m.

http://www.kdoctv.net/action_hawaiifiveo.htm

T

CBS already has a rip off of Hawaii Five O. CSI Miami and that Jack Lord wannabe David Caruso. Jack Lord's hair had more talent than "Horatio"

BTW... JACK LORD'S HAIR was one of the best band names I ever heard.

I am very doubtful about any new series that hopes to draw from the original.
The exception for me is Battlestar Galactica. They shouldn't have named it that, it is so much better than the original.

Mad Men absolutely sucks. I started watching for the reasons listed above, I liked everything except the characters. They should all go away. Maybe a lawn dart to the head, however they used to die back then...

J
joe90 posted on Wed, Aug 13, 2008 7:15 PM

*On 2008-08-13 18:39, Tikiton wrote:*BTW... JACK LORD'S HAIR was one of the best band names I ever heard.

Tikiton... :) Close. They're a band from my hometown, Edmonton, and they're called 'Steve McGarrett's Hair'.

But 'Jack Lord's Hair' has a certain ring to it too. :wink:

Check out this cover of Hawaii 5-0

http://lacalifusa.jobservation.com/mp3steve.html

I agree on MAD MEN... They should have a segment set in modern times -- 45 years later -- showing them as a bunch of tired, old, emphysemic alcoholics...

[ Edited by: joe90 2008-08-13 19:18 ]

My 1967 Mercury Monterey:

The 1968 Mercury Park Lane that Jack Lord drove on the show:

Pretty close, huh?
Here's a link to a pretty cool story that I found shortly after I bought the car, about how a fan tracked the original car down and restored it to its former glory.
http://www.mjq.net/fiveo/50mercury.htm

Make sure you click on picture #5 to see the license plate!



myspace.com/anotherdayinthelbc

[ Edited by: Jason Wickedly 2008-08-13 20:33 ]

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-20 20:44 ]

T

On 2008-08-13 19:15, joe90 wrote:

Close. They're a band from my hometown, Edmonton, and they're called 'Steve McGarrett's Hair'.

But 'Jack Lord's Hair' has a certain ring to it too. :wink:

Wow, clever song! I would like to hear it as a big band swing arrangement with additional lyrics...hmmm.

Jack Lord's Hair was a punk band in the late 80's early 90's based in Lancaster, PA.

Love the Mercury. It was a car capable of containing the coiffure.

I recently saw a suit jacket owned by Jack Lord was auctioned on E-bay. That would be cool to own.

J
joe90 posted on Thu, Aug 14, 2008 2:13 PM

On 2008-08-14 09:37, Tikiton wrote:
Wow, clever song! I would like to hear it as a big band swing arrangement with additional lyrics...hmmm.

Jack Lord's Hair was a punk band in the late 80's early 90's based in Lancaster, PA.

Love the Mercury. It was a car capable of containing the coiffure.

I recently saw a suit jacket owned by Jack Lord was auctioned on E-bay. That would be cool to own.

Wow! Coincidence? Steve McGarrett's Hair was around in the early 1980's, along with another Edmonton group, SNFU. They no longer are...

That song is from a modern group from California.

I agree...Erichtroudt and Mongoloid, timing is everything. I am thrilled to have my 5.0 DVDs...that is as close to a remake as I may get. I have an open mind though and might see how it goes...but in my opinion there will never be another Jack Lord, those great sets, or that fabulous music.

Steve McGarrett's Hair was great. :)


"Oh waiter, another cocktail please!!!"

[ Edited by: VampiressRN 2008-08-14 14:45 ]

On 2008-08-13 20:31, filslash wrote:
Aloha,

Ok, First off, let me just point out a few reasons.

1/ Good for Hawaii. Tax dollars from a major project like this will be boon for Hawaii. Good for the State means more money in and better exposure in a winter environment in Decemeber.

2/ Good for tiki because they will document todays Islands and create exotic sets to romanticise the islands. This will help places like "La Mariana" and "Tiki's" (which will be rented as sets. In future, it'll be as exciting as this will also have a good effect for artists to sell more Tiki.

3/ Hawaii is in a bad period of tourism and when It's harder (More expensive) to GO to Hawaii, TV shows about Hawaii do very well ratings wise. It's an elusive port 'o call, and this can only help the Islands.

Advice for the film makers and CBS.

1/ Set it in 1952 Hawaii and make it a raw crime drama style along the lines of the "Shield" set it in Paradise.

Show the Corruption. Show the GREED. Show Murder. Show white slavery and more ills. Show the utter contempt of LAW. Show the backroom deals. Show what made these islands Exotic. I swear if I get that stuff Every week, and I will watch.

I want to see my forbidden glimpses of Strip clubs, Chinatown Opium dens, Illegal Casinos and Tiki bars of 1950's Paradise.

And then the creation of the 5-0 force. Make them so buzy cleaning up the islands, nothing else matters and the criminal element will have no choice but to fight.

2/ Screw the idea about McGarret's son and just have the BALLZ to recast the Steve and the rest of the cast. Me, I'd cast Duane "the ROCK" Johnson as Steve. Let him rock the doo, bro. That way, you'd also create this massive Media FRENZY in Hawaii every week.

3/ Give me rich Characters and a good ongoing story and I will watch.

Oh and hire "Agent Orange" to do the new 5-0-V-2 Theme and gain a huge rating, and less flame online.

best to you all.


Sounds like they should hire James Ellroy as lead writer!

M

Once, when Jack Lord found out someone had been smoking in the 5-0 Mercury, he had it taken to a local shop and the entire interior cleaned and the upholstery was torn out and replaced.

You didn't mess with Jack on set. I watched him mercilously tear down an actress in front of God and everybody while directing an episode, standing atop a large ladder while using a bull horn because she blew her line.

Otherwise, a pretty cool dude!

PI

I too have the theme from Hawaii 5-0 as my ringtone.

J

On 2008-08-14 18:37, msteeln wrote:
Once, when Jack Lord found out someone had been smoking in the 5-0 Mercury, he had it taken to a local shop and the entire interior cleaned and the upholstery was torn out and replaced.

You didn't mess with Jack on set. I watched him mercilously tear down an actress in front of God and everybody while directing an episode, standing atop a large ladder while using a bull horn because she blew her line.

Otherwise, a pretty cool dude!

And pretty generous, if all the reports were true. I'd be inclined to forgive his impatience with actors, and all those Hollywood types.

The Mercury story is cool in an Obsessive/Compulsive kind of way. :wink:

M

New article with some info on some cool art by Bob Peak

http://starbulletin.com/2008/09/01/features/flashback.html

J

On 2008-08-14 14:39, VampiressRN wrote:
I agree...Erichtroudt and Mongoloid, timing is everything. I am thrilled to have my 5.0 DVDs...that is as close to a remake as I may get. I have an open mind though and might see how it goes...but in my opinion there will never be another Jack Lord, those great sets, or that fabulous music.

Steve McGarrett's Hair was great. :)


"Oh waiter, another cocktail please!!!"

[ Edited by: VampiressRN 2008-08-14 14:45 ]

Thank you.

I always tried my best. It was not easy to keep up the pompadour and the stoic persona while surrounded by Island babes.

DZ

I'm just afraid they won't bring back Wo Fat (or, more likely, his son) as the Commie Chinese Arch Villain -- too non-PC. I just hope it won't end up like the Sci Fi Channel's Flash Gordon of last season, with a Dr. Zarkov who was a goofy, clumsy comedy sidekick (in the original he was the smart one who came up with all the cool weapons and fought at Flash's side), and an Emperor Ming who was played by a milquetoast caucasian Canadian actor (I'm not knocking Canadian actors in general, Edmonton; Christopher Plummer was splendid as a Klingon Warlord). When I went online to find out what was going on after the new Flash series was announced, they said they deliberately picked a boring white guy to play Ming because it wouldn't have been politically correct to make him Asian.

[ Edited by: Dr. Zarkov 2008-12-05 09:05 ]

[ Edited by: Dr. Zarkov 2008-12-06 11:11 ]

M

An update on the show and actors.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100209/NEWS01/100209001/⺋ⷻ뚊ﹾ⫬럫棹랾熫ⷹ飼勺냻솨ꋸ墯0

Even the BBC picked up on this part of the story :

Posted Feb 8th 2010 10:00AM by Allison Waldman

'Lost's' Daniel Dae Kim tapped for 'Hawaii 5-0' remake

CBS's new incarnation of 'Hawaii Five-0' to a huge step towards becoming a reality with one casting move. Daniel Dae Kim will be playing one of the 'Hawaii Five-0' team. The 'Lost' veteran, who is available for work because the ABC drama ends on May 23, will be a cop on 'Five-0.'

No, they're not making Steve McGarrett, the lead detective. Kim has been cast as Detective Chin Ho Kelly, the second or third guy, depending on the episode. In the original series, Kam Fong played the role, and James MacArthur as Dano was perceived more of the second guy on the team. But in today's more diverse era, Kim may have a more prominent role than Fong did.

As for McGarrett, there's still a lot of scuttlebutt that CBS will give the role to Alex O'Loughlin. It would make sense considering how determined the network is to find a series that will run beyond a season for the 'Moonlight' man. If it is O'Loughlin, the rest of the 'Five-0' crew might similar to the composition of 'NCIS: Los Angeles' with the exception of Linda Hunt. In other words, youthful, attractive and diverse.

Kim won't have to move for his new role. The new 'Hawaii Five-0' will be filmed in Hawaii, where 'Lost' has been shot for six seasons. At least he still wants to be on television. Based on comments by his 'Lost' colleagues, Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly, they're burned out and ready to disappear from the tube.

J
JOHN-O posted on Tue, Feb 9, 2010 9:39 AM

Actually don't you think a spoof of the show would be the best approach? We already think of Jack Lord as a caricature. His hair, vanity, and that black suit in the hot Hawaiian sun.

I never bought off on all of the urban crime that 5-0 was encountering in Hawaii. You'd think Honolulu was the sister city of Chicago. Also they were always jetting off to Hilo which gave the impression that it was "Boston" to Honolulu's "New York". When I finally visited Hilo, all I found was (Polynesian) "Small Town USA". This might have worked in the late 1960's and early 1970's but I think credibility is going to be stretched with today's modern audience (unless you're going to mock it).

I think Magnum P.I. would be the better remake. Hawaii's casual "local" color is its most interesting feature and makes for better background for an Aloha-shirt wearing P.I. driving around in a borrowed Ferrari.

I vote for Will Smith as the new Magnum P.I. :) Wait, he might be a little old for that. Let's just make him the new Steve McGarrett. He was a great James "Wild Wild" West. It'll be guaranteed box office !! "Book em' Danno".

M

My 'McGarrett moment' included him pulling up in this Merc next to the 160' schooner I lived on in the 70s and getting out looking like a 5-0 God before a shoot that morning across the Aloha Tower parking lot at Pier 7 and extending his hand to me (which I knew he was usually loathe to do!) as I worked, with a smile and wanting to talk boats for a minute. Nice guy for a surprise.
Got a few secs of the boat in the show too.

Heard once, he got in this car and flipped out smelling ciggy smoke, and had the entire interior torn out and replaced.

K
keola posted on Sun, Feb 14, 2010 7:43 AM

I'm looking forward to hearing a remixed theme song!

Another update on the cast of the pilot episode.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/03/17/james-marsters-joins-the-new-hawaii-five-o/?icid=main|main|dl2|link7|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvsquad.com%2F2010%2F03%2F17%2Fjames-marsters-joins-the-new-hawaii-five-o%2F

K
keola posted on Sun, Apr 18, 2010 9:06 AM

An update on the pilot: McGarrett's 1974 car features prominently in the pilot.

McGarrett's Marquis still motoring along
Iconic '74 Mercury will be seen again, in pilot for new 'Hawaii 5-0'
Article: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100418/LIFE/4180311

B

Marsters will always be "Spike" to me - even without the fake accent! Looks like it could be a fun show - I look forward to it (hopefully on one of the main TV stations since I just got rid of cable for the sake of $$$!) Thanks for the updates!

I hope that the new McGarrett comes face to face with Dog the Bounty Hunter and kicks his ass.

B

On 2010-04-18 17:50, HelloTiki wrote:
I hope that the new McGarrett comes face to face with Dog the Bounty Hunter and kicks his ass.

Now THAT would be worth a Pay-Per-View showing! McGarrett might have a bit of trouble if he had to deal with Uniboob though. LOL

J

Hey this topic was actually started 8 years ago....

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=132&forum=1&4

On 2010-05-18 12:27, JOHN-O wrote:

Hey this topic was actually started 8 years ago....

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=132&forum=1&4

Kinda....8 years = deadlinks + for Movie (not television series) that never came to fruition.

Interesting reply left on the Honolulu Advertiser's comment section for the above article.

Many of the scenes for the original were shot in and around the area of my parents' home near Diamond Head. One day (circa 1970) my mother was returning from Times Market with, among other things, ice cream. Tutu could not get to the house because the streets were blocked off for shooting. She was huhu - and told the security folks about her melting ice cream. About two hours later, Jack Lord himself appeared at her front door, bearing a large quantity of ice cream. Talk about 'aloha spirit'.

We hope the new set of characters has the same spirit and enthusiasm for the show.

LONG LIVE THE VENTURES!!!

I cringe to think their original tune will get bastardized in any way. I am usually open to musical interpretation, but I am being an old curmudgeon on this one. Hmph!!!

[ Edited by: Vince Martini 2010-05-18 17:45 ]

At one time Clint Eastwood was to play McGarrett in a movie version

On 2010-05-18 14:02, Mongoloid wrote:

On 2010-05-18 12:27, JOHN-O wrote:

Hey this topic was actually started 8 years ago....

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=132&forum=1&4

Kinda....8 years = deadlinks + for Movie (not television series) that never came to fruition.

A

The Five-O theme is not a Ventures' original. The original score used in the show is composed by Morton Stevens and played by the CBS orchestra. The Ventures made a record covering the song, which sold very well. (That's NOT a criticism. They did an outstanding cover - so much that it's more often associated with them than the real original.) Also BTW, Morton Stevens appears in at least one episode.

I agree with every single point that ErichTroudt made earlier on this thread. Unless there's some unprecedented break with Hollywood's recent baffling trend of remakes-in-name-only, this will almost certainly have nothing to do with the Five-O that some of us love. A look at the cast screams out "a new take", in a way that brings us back to the question of why they're even calling it Five-O. I think a spoof would be even worse in the cloying way such things are done these days. But why not just make a unique, new, interesting crime series set in Hawaii? Someone's gotta have an original creative idea!

As a fan of the original, I'd disagree with some of the comments here. I think the youth culture in Hawaii is often presented in a sympathetic light. There are bad guys from the youth culture, but also from every other walk of life - businessmen to bums, locals to foreigners, cops to mobsters, parents to kids. It's always about the individuals who are greedy, reckless, or corrupt. And when a hippie kid is the bad guy, the show often bends over backwards to trace their corruption to parents or other figures - a much more sympathetic treatment than the ruthless business crooks typically ever get. Even the "counter culture" causes are often presented with some sympathy, to a point just short of when crime is involved.

But, yes, in some ways the characters from the original could be called caricatures. All the same, they still seem much more real to me than most characters in modern crime shows like CSI. Those are mostly caricatures of the tanned "hard body" Hollywood actor look, and they're totally unbelievable as crime lab detectives (at least, unbelievable when the WHOLE staff looks like that). Sure, McGarrett has his suits and bandanas and hair, but with all that he still seems to fit with the elements around him, which include many local actors and even Chin Ho, who was actually a real cop before.

And one more thing - tikis and such actually appear pretty regularly in the show. Every scene in the governor's office, there they are on his desk set. But lots of other scenes too, even sometimes part of the plot. Maybe we could at least hope for 2.0 to toss in a tiki now and then, although sadly I doubt I'll be watching.

-Randy

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 248 replies