"Hawaii Five-O" Review: My New Adrenaline Rush?

Sometimes you have to wonder why Hollywood keeps remaking old shows when so many of them are complete disasters.

I know there were plenty of groans at the announcement CBS was remaking “Hawaii Five-O.” But all of those groans will be drowned out by cheers when the best pilot since “Lost” airs Monday night…

Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) is a decorated Naval officer who returns home to Hawaii after his father is murdered. But his father’s funeral is not the only thing awaiting him. There to greet him is the governor of Hawaii (Jean Smart) with a job offer. She wants Steve to head up a special task force to wipe crime off the islands. His initial response is no, until he realizes the task force can help him find his father’s murderer.

Joining him is the detective in charge of his father’s case, Danny “Danno” Williams (Scott Caan). Danny is still trying to adjust to Hawaii after moving there to be closer to his daughter. Also helping out is Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), a friend of McGarrett’s father, who was booted from the Honolulu police force when he was wrongly accused of corruption. And there’s also Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park), Chin Ho’s cousin, who is fresh out of the police academy.

Because the governor has given the task force no restrictions and complete immunity, they don’t really no any limits. And quite frankly, neither does the pilot. It reportedly cost $8 million and it shows big time. The direction is fantastic, the scenery is gorgeous and the stunts are amazing. My biggest concern is that the rest of the season won’t be able to live up to the premiere. If it can, the show could be a real adrenaline rush. And you know I’m looking for a new one of those…

O’Loughlin has had two failed CBS shows, but I can almost guarantee the third one is going to be the charm. As good as he was as a vampire, this role suits him much better…

“Hawaii Five-O” premieres Monday, September 20th at 10 p.m. on CBS…

Photo Credit: Mario Perez/CBS