Emmy Hopefuls: Will Alex O’Loughlin of Hawaii Five-0 ever get some love?
Think, for starters, about everything that a given performer on this show has to give in order to ensure that it is a success. You’re having to basically deliver near-constant energy, be believable in some of the high-octane action scenes, and then cool off to handle some of the personal, vulnerable moments. With O’Loughlin, he delivers all of these constantly as Steve McGarrett — with a little bit of humor thrown in here for good measure. This is a guy who is counted on to lead the show both on-screen and off, and this season in particular featured him acting, directing, and even working on the story (O’Loughlin has a “story by” credit for the penultimate episode of the season).
Some of the roles Alex has to play as Steve on the show are astounding.
The leader – This was one of Commander McGarrett’s toughest years to date, since he had to find a way to alternate between tough love and personal care for newcomers Tani Rey and Junior Reigns.
The business partner – By far, some of the season’s funniest scenes came with Alex and Scott Caan working in the restaurant set together.
The survivor – Alex gave an especially memorable performance when Steve and Catherine went off the grid to take on a mission personal to her. Throughout the entire season, you could say that he delivered in the aftermath of Steve’s radiation-poisoning reveal.
The pet owner – Okay, wasn’t the stuff with Eddie just delightful?
The sensitive guy – There are moments, whether it be with Joe White, Junior, or other characters within the cast, where Steve let some of the walls down. The amount of range Alex shows in these, especially in comparison to some other shows out there, is exceptional.
So where’s the Emmy love?
Unfortunately, action-oriented series are almost always snubbed by most major awards shows, largely because they don’t meet all of the checklist items that awards shows like to have. It’s a shame, but there is such a pattern for it at this point that it’s hard to make it change. We feel for Alex, given how deserving he truly is, alongside many of the other crew members and stunt performers who make Hawaii Five-0 what it is.
We do still think that O’Loughlin is worthy of praise for finding a way to routinely give so much of himself to this role for a whopping 25 episodes a year — it’s an immense challenge, but he commits himself to this time and time again and delivers in a way that makes the show the addictive Friday drama it is.
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Do you think that Alex O’Loughlin is a worthy Emmy contender? Be sure to let us know right now in the comments!
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