'Hawaii Five-0' Premiere Review: Caan You Dig It?
by Maureen Ryan, posted Sep 20th 2010 9:15AM
In the pilot for 'Hawaii Five-0,' a can-do type with a strong jawline assembles a crack law-enforcement team around him. They will Do What It Takes to Get Things Done. In other words, the CBS drama is not just a remake of the vintage Hawaii-set cop show starring Jack Lord. 'Hawaii Five-0' (10PM ET Monday, CBS) replicates the premise of a whole host of CBS procedurals.
Your mileage will vary as to whether that's a problem for you.
Another variable: How much Alex O'Loughlin do you want in your life? CBS remains utterly convinced that the network can build a 'Mentalist'-style hit around the former star of 'Moonlight' and 'Three Rivers.'
Who knows, maybe CBS is right. He certainly has the swagger and the physical build of a guy who could be the anchor for a prime-time show, and it's not as though his role here will require O'Loughlin to do any heavy dramatic lifting. As Det. Steve McGarrett, he needs to be resolute in his pursuit of the bad guys and toss off the occasional one-liner. I'm not sure he can do much more than that, but he can do that. Scott Caan, who plays Det. Danny "Danno" Williams, gets the showier role and makes the most of it. He has an unpredictable presence and a likable vibe, and his chemistry with O'Loughlin is moderately enjoyable. Though it's nice to see Daniel Dae Kim ('Lost') and Grace Park ('Battlestar Galactica') on TV again, they don't get a ton to do in the pilot. Caan really is the actor who provides a reason to tune in again.
Yet despite the dude-tastic charisma that Caan brings to Danno, I can't quite see a reason to watch 'Hawaii Five-0' again, given that each week, the stories will probably feel like something we've already seen on 'NCIS,' 'NCIS Los Angeles' or any number of the 'CSIs.' Bad guys will be caught, the team shall be triumphant. Rinse and repeat.
In fairness, a shred of an ongoing story line is established in the pilot, but all things considered, this appears to be the kind of show that's designed to do the exact same thing every week. Believe it or not, I don't have anything against 'Hawaii Five-0'; the pilot for this show looks great and in many ways, it's perfectly serviceable. But I don't think I'll be visiting the 50th state again any time soon.
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