Hawaii Five-0 ending with season 10 on CBS; first thoughts
Today, the network announced that the long-running police show, led of course by Alex O’Loughlin, is departing after ten tremendous seasons on the air. It’s bittersweet in the end, since this is a very sudden announcement (the series finale is set for early April) and there were clearly so many stories that could have still been told. The ratings were also seemingly good enough for the show to seemingly keep going.
Yet, sometimes the end is just the end; we can speculate about reasons and the like for a while, but ten seasons is a great benchmark and it feels like a good way to go out. It doesn’t make it any less sad, but we’re definitely grateful for the journey, the beauty of the islands, the strength of the performances, and of course the creativity of the writing.
For some more video reaction to the news today, be sure to watch our emotional thoughts at the bottom of this article. Once you check that out, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube and then view our show playlist.
In a statement today, CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl said the following about the show saying farewell:
“It’s never easy to say goodbye to a hit franchise that carried on the legacy of the original with such distinction, while establishing its own signature style … From episode one, Hawaii Five-0 has been a huge success for us. Thanks to the amazing talents of the producers, writers, cast and crew, it has played a key role for a decade on our schedule and helped establish our powerhouse Friday night. We cannot be prouder of its quality and longevity and are thankful for the passionate fan devotion it inspired.”
Meanwhile, showrunner Peter M. Lenkov (who has been so generous to us over the years with his time and candor) went on to add the following:
“Hawaii Five-0 has been such a blessing to me and all of the people who have worked on this incredible show. I truly learned the meaning of ‘ohana’ as the viewers embraced us and the people of Hawaii welcomed us with the privilege to film on their shores. I am forever indebted to the creative genius that was Leonard Freeman who gave us such a beautiful story to begin with. And my eternal gratitude to our cast, led by our hero Alex O’Loughlin, the writers, the production team, our CBS ohana, and most importantly YOU, the fans, who allowed us to come to work with pride and made our series such a success. Mahalo.”
Finally, Alex O’Loughlin provided a statement of his own:
“This show has been pretty much every waking moment for the last 10 years of my life … Everywhere I go on this planet, in every language, I am McGarrett to all these people. What we’ve done, what we’ve accomplished, it’s extraordinary. I can’t really put words to express my level of gratitude. I’m just glad to have been a part of this, a part of history, and I’m going to miss it. And to the fans, I don’t know how to thank you guys. Thank you for following us the way you have. I’m going to miss you. Aloha.”
We’re going to miss Five-0 more than we can say. It’s been wonderful TV escapism and an ohana for all of its viewers. We hope that Magnum PI continues the legacy of the series for some time and reminds us of everything we adore about this franchise.
Thank you, Hawaii Five-0 and everyone involved. May the final cases and stories be as fantastic as all the rest. (Photo: CBS.)