Hawaii Five-0 Stars, Then and Now: Where Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan and the Rest Went Next
Double the waves, double the takedowns: Hawaii Five-0 has ruled TV in two eras — the 1968–1980 original and a turbocharged revival many fans say matches it — turning an elite Hawaii State Police unit into a pop-culture powerhouse.
Quick refresher for anyone who has seen palm trees and car chases on CBS and wondered which Hawaii Five-0 you were watching: there are two of them, decades apart, and yeah — the reboot actually worked. Plenty of fans rate it right up there with the classic.
The original wave (1968–1980)
The first Hawaii Five-0 kicked off in 1968 and ran through 1980. It followed a specialized unit within the Hawaii State Police — the Five-0 team — led by Steve McGarrett, played by Jack Lord, with James MacArthur as his right-hand guy, Danny Williams. Clean, procedural crime- fighting with a distinctive island backdrop and that theme song you can hum without trying.
The CBS reboot (2010–2020)
Cut to 2010, when CBS revived the series with a modern twist and a fresh cast. This time Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) comes home from military service with one big priority: figure out who killed his father. He ends up partnering with a fish-out-of-water transplant, former New Jersey cop Danny Williams (Scott Caan). From there, it goes full-tilt weekly-mission mode — the task force racks up case after case across the Big Island, and the show keeps circling back to the idea of ohana, which is the emotional glue for this crew.
- 1968–1980: Original series with Jack Lord and James MacArthur leading the Five-0 unit
- 2010–2020: CBS reboot with Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan, built around McGarrett's hunt for his father's killer and a decade of team-driven cases
Ten seasons later
The revival didn’t flame out after a season or two — it ran a full 10 seasons and wrapped in 2020. For a reboot, that is sticking the landing.