This was a pleasant surprise. The original series ran for twelve seasons and was the longest running cop show of the time. At its heart was Jack Lord as McGarrett, who took over the reign's when the series creator died around the fifth season. His no-nonsense approach to fighting crime was enhanced by tight shows that demanded your attention. Even after all these years, the shows still hold up and engage my attention.

The new series, which has been running for a number of years at this point, provides a great backstory that is missing from the original series. The producers were smart to keep the theme song and mimic to a fascinating degree, the intro sequence of the original. The cinematography is outstanding and in many cases, could double for postcard shots that a typical of the Island paradise. Even more important is the fact that the plight of the natives and their traditions are presented in a respectful manner.

The cast of characters have the same names as the first season of the original series and the famous (missing for a major part of the original series' first season) line, "Book him, Danno" starts with the first episode. The original no nonsense approach is replaced by stronger character development, something that is common to today's television series.

The show is high-octane all the way and it isn't unusual to find the same kind of "tight" story telling that was featured in the original. It is also very violent at times, but doesn't dwell on the violence or feature it. It is rock-solid in suspense and action and most of the stories are somewhat unpredictable. The Hawaiian setting offers a real change of story potential from most of today's cop shows and is used effectively.

I highly recommend this for anyone who likes a good mystery cop show that has well-developed characters that often have a sense of humor that doesn't turn into slapstick comedy.

And watching this new iteration of the show does not diminish the intense entertainment value of the original series.

On September 20, 2010, 42 years to the day that the original “Hawaii Five-O” police procedural TV show premiered on CBS, an all-new version (with the slightly altered title of of “Hawaii Five-0”) made its debut, also on CBS. Now, over the years, I've developed a healthy skepticism for remakes of older, "classic" TV shows. They have usually proven themselves poor imitations of the originals. I figured this remake of “Hawaii Five-O” would very likely be no different, although I was (begrudgingly) willing to give it the benefit of the doubt... for the time being.

As it turns out, the all-new “Hawaii Five-0” is much better than I expected. The new show is still built on Leonard Freeman's original premise of a four-person team of investigators, appointed by the governor of Hawaii, that investigates that state’s toughest and most high profile crimes. Steve McGarrett, (now played by Alex O'Loughlin) leads the team. McGarrett is once again ably assisted by Danny Williams (Scott Caan), Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), and Kona Kalakaua (Grace Park).

All four of the lead characters in “Hawaii Five-0” are much more fully developed and complex than they were in the original show. We learn that Steve McGarrett is the son of Jack McGarrett, a former Honolulu police officer who is murdered by terrorists. Danny Williams is a transplanted New Jersey cop who follows his now remarried ex-wife and young daughter to Hawaii so that he can maintain his relationship with his daughter. Chin Ho Kelly now has a secret in his past that he wants to keep hidden; and Kona Kalakaua is now a beautiful young female rookie cop who's also a champion surfer.

From the outset, “Hawaii Five-0” Season 1 makes one thing abundantly clear: this ain't your parents’ “Hawaii Five-O.” Today’s Steve McGarrett is no longer a straight-laced, buttoned-down "top cop" with slicked-back hair and an immaculately tailored suit. Now he's a modern day "action hero" with “attitude” to spare, dressed in cargo pants, pullover shirts, and athletic shoes. He and Danny share an especially strong chemistry that’s readily apparent from their light-hearted and often humorous squabbling. The scripts delve more deeply into the personal lives of every character, making the show a finely balanced combination of character-driven crime drama and technology-driven police procedural.

The original “Hawaii Five-O” is still a great police drama, even though it has not aged particularly well. The new “Hawaii Five-0,” now (as of this writing) entering its seventh season on CBS, takes the very best that its predecessor had to offer - an original concept, excellent story lines, and Hawaii's magnificent scenery - and transfers them all into a show with great appeal for 21st century viewers. Highly recommended.

(Review updated August 31, 2016)

Hawai'i is my spiritual and physical home. The views of the aina...and the kai, are spectacular and occasionally leave me in tears...home sickness, gratitude for the time spent in that place of so many faces, all touched, warmed, shaped by a cultural that is at once Polynesian, cosmopolitan and glabal. The visuals alone, for a homesick kamaaina are a gift. The language used to title each episode and the care given to the values of the people and the place is another gift. Some of the plots are a bit thin, others overdrawn, but...it's Hawai'i, home of my body, spirit and heart. The re-drawing of the characters is tasty: Jack Lord's cool, urbanity becomes Alex O'Loughlin's man of action and passion, Scott Caan makes a sand burr out of James MacArthur's dutiful and agreeable Dan'o, and the shape-shifting of Chin Ho from chubby Chinese policeman into a lean, Kung fu warrior but most of all turning the humble, sometimes bumbling Kono into a passionate surfing, law and order vixen, completes a blending of a detective show sited in paradise, into a global girdling drama that pounds out echoes Tom Selleck's Magnum, P.I., the original 5-0, 007 and more. Scripts that comment on American adventures or mis-adventures in Afghanistan, Cambodia and Vietnam beat drums of humanitarianism, patriotism and compassion.

I'm old enough that I remember watching the original series back in the 70's but it's been so long now since I've seen it that I can't remember enough to compare then with now- but I have a feeling that I'd judge this version to be better.
This, the first season, may be the best of the four broadcast to date- and is about the only "cop show" I make any effort to watch. Most TV series remakes are bad- this one is not.
I missed a few episodes when it was broadcast- now I can catch up.

The camera work is great, the writing not bad and the producers really seem to put a lot of effort into production. The episode notes are inside the cover meaning you'll either have to remove it or 2 of the DVDs to read them (you'll get broadcast date and title- in Hawaiian & English- along with a couple of lines of episode description…you might or might not be told who guest starred). You'll also get a few, too few, words about whatever extras are on each disc. The extras are among the best I've ever seen on a series set with the usual "gag reel" and deleted scenes and a few featurettes about the show (I had no idea so much of some of the action stuff was "faked" in a computer). Grace Park's Hawaiian tour is the only worthless extra in the set- you'll learn almost nothing.

Good set, I hope the others are as good.

[[ASIN:B000LE16VC The original version of Hawaii Five-O]] was regarded as one of the great police dramas ever. It ended its twelve-year run in 1980, and three decades later CBS brought the series back as a 'reboot.' This DVD set contains all 24 episodes of the first season of the new version of the series originally broadcast from September 2010 to May 2011.

In this version of the show Steve McGarrett is a former Navy Seal played by Alex O'Loughlin. After his father is murdered, Steve is joined on the Five-0 team by Danny Williams (Scott Caan), Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), and Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park). There is great rapport, banter, and humor between Steve and Danny, and the series portrays side issues like Danny's relationship with his ex and battles for custody of his daughter. The team is based in Honolulu and solves the crimes of murder, kidnapping, gang war, jail break, robbery, and piracy, and also chases arch-villain Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos).

The series incorporates high tech into the forensics that the team uses to solve crimes, and the writing in these episodes is great--it is so tightly written that if you let your mind wander for even a minute or two you can lose track of important parts of the storyline. In many series today men are portrayed as buffoons, but the new "Hawaii Five-0" is old school in that the lead character embodies the traditional masculine traits of toughness, courage, competence, honor, and decisiveness. The music is also good, and recognizable guest stars this season include Greg Germann and Rick Springfield. Season One even has a great finale/cliffhanger.

Special features on this DVD set include promos, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and features on the show's theme song, on life in Hawaii, on comparisons to the original show, and on the production of the series.

It seems that most of the time (we can all [[ASIN:B0080GTA0M think of examples]]), when a network remakes a show it is far inferior to the original version. But with its great writing, technology, action, and superb cinematography of Hawaii, this new iteration of "Hawaii Five-0" is even a little bit better than its predecessor, great as it was. One thing both versions have in common, though, is the best theme song in television history.

For ten years I wondered what became of Alex O' Laughlin, my favorite vampire P.I. Mick At. John, of Moonlight. That's what I get for watching nothing but Dvds of old T.V. series on my laptop. I'm glad I finally took a chance on something newer. I love this show, and Alex is even better at playing Mc Garrett. This is now one of my all-time favorite shows, and I'll soon be purchasing DVDs of every season. I also have all 16 episodes of Moonlight, and especially like watching Sophia Miles. I wonder what show she's in. I'll definitely buy that from Amazon, too.

Most of the episodes are done well and are entertaining to a large degree. I have enjoyed watching them all. However, because I am the biggest fan of the original tv show, starring Jack Lord, I miss Lord's acting approach, and all the other actors, and the pace of the stories. This new version of Hawaii Five-O is like a bunch of bulls let loose in a China shop- non-stop unrealistic action, people and things blown to bits. I think it appeals well to a sixteen year old; and not to adults who would appreciate good detective work and action, but not
inconceivable action scenes. Also, no credit is given to Jack Lord, either in the opening or the closing of an episode- but credit is given to the creator of the original show. It wouldn't have succeeded at all without Jack Lord. And to see these marginal policemen take on the names of the original cast is a disgrace.

Nice season set. We got it at an AWESOME price when we purchased. Quality you would expect with a decent case. Definitely glad we tried this show out at the price point. So far as the show itself, it is a decent show and worth watching if you like police dramas in general. Nothing that will knock your socks off, but we are enjoying it as something to watch to pass the time.