Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980): Starring Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Kam Fong, Zulu, Al Harrington, William Smith, Sharon Farrell, Hermen Wedemeyer, Moe Keale, Richard Denning, Glenn Cannon, Al Eben, Maggie Parker, Peggy Ryan, Morgan White...Created By Leonard Freeman For many folks, "Hawaii Five-O" was the greatest "cop/detective" series on television, and in truth, it was the success of this long running series ('68-80, 12 years)that inspired other memorable detective series such as "Streets Of San Francisco" in the 70's and L.A. Law and Magnum P.I. in the 80's. The trend continues with today's "Law and Order" and "CSI". Jack Lord stars as the tough, no-nonsense, overly analytical, intelligent and charismatic Steve McGarret, who for years solves crimes and puts baddies behind bars in the beautiful state-island of Hawaii. James McArthur portrayed his right hand man Detective Danny "Danno" Williams and Asian actor Kam Fong portrayed Chin-Ho, another resourceful detective on the police force. Shot on location in Honolulu, Hawaii and other parts of the islands, the series was ahead of its time. A lot of the episodes (though not all of them) seem very real and probable, as if the crimes being committed, as dramatic as they were, could actually occur. For instance, several crimes involved drug traffic and prostitution, which never stops even in the mainland of the US. Admittedly, some of the villains were fiendishly evil, bordering on comic book villains, especially in the more psychotic criminals who killed for sport or fetishes. When the baddies weren't after peoples' lives, they were out to get their money in elaborate money schemes. At times, the show was full of contrived suspense, i.e. they would leave out enough in a span of ten minutes to leave you hanging before commercial breaks. Some episodes were divided into two parts, particularly the overly dramatic ones i.e. McGarett gets shot, they have to find out who shot him, he is hospitalized and during that time Dano takes over, McGarett is sued and goes to court, etc. Several villains returned various times to the show. The writing on the show is well-done and there was an overall feeling of mystery and action, though never as violent as today's shows. So sit back, watch McGarett and his men extract justice amidst surfing, luxurious paradise resorts and fun in the sun.
Review of Hawaii Five-O
