Hawaii Five-0 season 10 premiere: EP explains big Jerry decision

Jerry Ortega

Following tonight’s Hawaii Five-0 season 10 premiere, we’d say that there was what we’d like to consider to be a mix of good news and bad. The great news is this: Neither Jerry nor Steve McGarrett died following the big season 9 cliffhanger. Yet, we do know now that he is saying farewell to the Task Force, at least as a full-time member. Jorge Garcia is not moving forward with the show as a series regular, but that doesn’t mean that his story has been told once and for all.

Speaking to CarterMatt as a part of a recent interview, show executive producer Peter M. Lenkov confirms Garcia’s future status with the following message:

He’s not leaving. We’re just not going to be using him as regularly … He’s going to have an epiphany and he’s going to realize that he wants to do something he’s never done before. We’re hoping he comes back, and that it’s almost like what Jerry was originally on the series — someone we went through for help every now and then.

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So what led to the series making this final choice? As Lenkov explains, much of this stems back to conversations between himself and Garcia that have taken place for a while:

“Honestly, it started with him a couple of years ago. He was talking about maybe season 8 being his last year, but we talked and I really thought that we should keep going and keep the character alive and he agreed. He was playing this character for a long time and I think actors, rightly so, get to a place where they want to try something else. I think he was getting close to that.

“But I also really didn’t want him to leave. We found a way to get him out the door, but have that door left open.”

So, for now, say farewell to Garcia as a core part of the Hawaii Five-0 cast — yet, don’t be shocked if he does find his way to come back into the series down the road if an opportunity presents itself. For now, we’re just happy that Jerry is alive, and we’re not going to have to live in a world where we don’t end up seeing him ever again. There’s a good chance we still will.

Related News Check out some more thoughts on Hawaii Five-0, including episode reviews and previews

Are you glad that there’s still a possible future for Jorge Garcia on Hawaii Five-0?

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