Hawaii Five-0 season 8: Taylor Wily, Kimee Balmilero, Dennis Chun promoted
Recently, it was noted on CBS’ press site that Taylor Wily (Kamekona), Kimee Balmilero (Noelani Cunha), and Dennis Chun (Duke Lukela) were listed as a part of the main cast for the upcoming eighth season. In addition to that, the local publication Honolulu Star-Advertiser further confirmed the news.
Given that these three have more than 180 shared episodes between them, it’s fair to say that all of these promotions are just. Both Chun and Wily have been a part of the series on an off-and-on basis since 2010, while Balmilero made her first appearance back in 2012 in a different role (she’s played Cunha since 2016). They’ve all certainly paid their dues on the show and are worthy of a much larger role.
If you want to see just what this promotion effectively means on an emotional level, you just have to look at what Balmilero wrote on her Instagram page (see the bottom of this article) about the honor. It gives further representation to Hawaiian actors on the show, and it also is a prime example of dream fulfillment. Congratulations to all three; we’re excited to see what it means for all of these characters moving forward!
The one thing you should note is that even though these promotions are in, that does not guarantee that the three actors will be in every episode. There are many fractional series regulars these days that are contracted to appear in a certain number of episodes, and sometimes there are also just stories that don’t require every main character. Those who watch Hawaii Five-0 with regularity know already that Scott Caan isn’t in every episode — a fact that was further explained by executive producer Peter M. Lenkov recently.
New episodes of Hawaii Five-0 are being filmed right now in preparation of the show premiering on CBS this September. As you would imagine, we’ll have further news before then!
What do you think about these promotions? Be sure to share your thoughts in the attached comments! (Photo: CBS.)