Alex O'Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park
Couch Potato Cop is a traditionalist. I bristled when baseball adopted the Wild Card, realignment and inter-league play.
I prefer Classic Coke to New Coke.
When there's a remake of a classic TV or movie franchise, I almost always like the original better, almost on principal.
So I was ready to hate on the "Hawaii Five-O" reboot.
But I'm here to testify that the "HFO" pilot rocked.
Written by the folks who re-imagined the "Star Trek" mythos in the 2009 film, "HFO" is unrecognizable from the Jack Lord original that ran from 1968-80 and 279 episodes. The only things you'll recognize are the iconic theme song [played twice] and the characters' names.
"HFO" soars over the numerous other cop shows on the TV landscape with over-the-top action sequences that look more cinematic than small-screen. CBS broke the bank with an opening hostage-exchange gone bad set in South Korea [but also filmed in Hawaii] complete with state-of-the-art army tanks, black hawks and paratroopers.
The pilot breathes freshness in the time-weathered cliche of the newly partnered cops who can't stand each other but learn to respect each other. Alex O'Loughlin [McGarrett] has kicked around in a number of failed shows ["Three Rivers", "Moonlight"], but he's poised for stardom here. Scott Caan's Danno is a roguish New Jerseyite who moves to the rock to be closer to his young daughter.
Some might chafe at the notion of McGarrett & Danno being relative equals in this reboot--after all, Jack Lord was the man. But just go with it.
Daniel Dae Kim is Chin Ho Kelly, an ex-cop forced to resign under pressure after being falsely accused of taking a bribe. Few people know the island the way Kelly does, so McGarrett offers him his shield and a chance of redemption.
Side note: actor Daniel Dae Kim just spent 6 years in Hawaii filming "Lost". The guy literally can't get off the island.
Rounding out the cast is Grace Park, a tough and sassy rookie cop who could have been a champion surfer if it weren't for a knee injury.
Hawaii Five-O opened huge, with 14 million viewers for the pilot.
Those traditionalists who pine for the beloved original can take solace with a Netflix membership and the occasional marathon on Spike TV.
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