Hawaii Five-0 season 8: Ian Anthony Dale promoted; Meaghan Rath joins

We assumed that there would be new faces joining Hawaii Five-0 for season 8. However, we did not imagine an Ian Anthony Dale promotion!

Deadline confirmed on Wednesday that Dale will be a regular for the upcoming season in the role of Adam, who he’s played for much of the past several years on a recurring basis. Even though his onscreen wife Kono (Grace Park) has departed the show, Adam staying put clearly means that the character will not be forgotten. As for how Adam is further incorporated, that is a good question. Given his record and time behind bars, he could be an asset to the Five-0 team in terms of understanding the criminal mind and thinking of unusual solutions to problems.

Dale is a regular this season on Salvation, so it remains to be seen how he will juggle these shows in the event that the summer series comes back and he retains his role there.

Meanwhile, there are two other performers who are officially coming on board as new regulars.

Meaghan Rath – The former Being Human and Secrets and Lies actress is going to play the part of Tani, the much-discussed lifeguard with former ties to the police department. She did not make it through the academy, but there may still be a future for her with the team yet. Given the lack of female cast members following Park’s exit, it was essential that the show find someone else to come on board the series.

Beulah Koale – Finally, the former Common Ground actor will play the part of Junior Reigns, a Navy SEAL who has returned home and is looking for some permanent employment. He feels like his skills that he learned overseas will prove useful with the team, and he’s probably right. (Also, Junior Reigns sounds like the name of a Roman Reigns sidekick from the WWE.)

In addition to Park, Daniel Dae Kim (Chin Ho Kelly) is also going to be gone from the show, presumably so that the character can run his own team over in San Francisco. Park’s Kono is investigating the sex-trafficking ring uncovered in the most-recent finale all over the country.

The biggest thing that we hope is that the show’s viewers give these new performers a chance. It’s not always all that easy to get on board with a new direction for a show, especially when so much of the enjoyment was based on seeing the familiar faces week in and week out. Still, we know that these are really good performers, and they are worthy of an opportunity to prove that they can fit into this world. It’s not their fault that Kim and Park departed after some tense negotiations with CBS.

What do you think about Koale and Rath joining the show, and about the promotion of Dale? Be sure to share below!

Meanwhile, head over to the link here to get some further insight right now when it comes to Hawaii Five-0 and the future of the series. (Photo: CBS.)