Is Hawaii Five-0 taking scaled approach for new cast members?
Recently, it was announced that Meaghan Rath and Beulah Koale would be new series regulars on the show, and Ian Anthony Dale would also be upped to that part alongside several other longtime recurring players. Rath and Koale are going to be the two performers you have to come to know on the show, but most indications that we have are that you won’t be meeting the two right away.
When it comes to Rath’s Tani, you will be seeing her pretty early on in the season. This makes sense, especially since this role was being cast even before the news was first confirmed that Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park were leaving. The plan was always to bring this character in the show, filling the void that was left by Masi Oka departing the show midway through season 7.
But what about Kaole? Based on what we’re hearing at the moment, all signs indicate that he won’t be taking part in the first couple of episodes. That gives the show a chance to reset and focus on some of his established core, and allowing them to take their time in order to introduce one of the new faces down the road. That’s useful for one reason: Allowing the show to move naturally. If you bring in both Rath and Koale at the same time, one of the things that could come as a result of that is a sentiment that it changes the show too much. If you make things more of a slow progression, what that means is that you give each character a chance to have some time in the limelight, and it’s not disrupting the balance that you’ve already come to know on the show.
At some point, we also expect Dale to turn back up in Hawaii, but there is no clear indication at the moment as to when that debut episode will be. Hopefully, that is something that will start to become clearer via social media in the weeks/months to come.
Is there hope for great things with these newcomers?
Absolutely. While we do love Park and Kim immensely, one thing that we do need to remember in the process is that these characters were created by the same people who are working to cultivate these new people. We have faith that there’ll be some interesting characteristics about the two of them, and they will bring some additional dimensions into the show.
When do you want to see some of the new characters turn up on Hawaii Five-0 season 8? Share in the comments below!
Meanwhile, if you head over to the link here in the event you want some other news when it comes to the show. (Photo: CBS.)
Susan J. Stiers
August 11, 2017 @ 1:07 am
Spot on with these insights! I wholeheartedly agree
that this more “natural” approach is for the best. I do NOT
like to be slapped in the face with several new characters at once anyway. It’s too jarring, tends to feel forced, and emphasizes that there’s a lot of change
going on, which then detracts from the norm that we love (and still
exists). And, as you suggested, this gives our core characters time to
adjust right along with us and that makes it all feel more real as well.
It’s no different than with most of us in our work and family environments. Big changes can be hard but if handled with care and attention, the journey can be very interesting and satisfying. Heck, it took time for me to warm up to Lou but now I’m cool with Lou. I hope that the story lines, writing, and direction allow this transition to happen without omitting Chin and Kono from the H50 narrative. In real life, family members sometimes have to move away or transition to new things for personal or professional reasons (and so do actors). That’s life. Yet they will always remain family. But now, I’m ready for more stories with Steve and Danno and Hawaii Five-0!