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Hawaii Five-0
TV Series

Hawaii Five-0

2010Action, Adventure, Comedy • 10 Seasons

Woke Score
2.9
out of 10

Series Overview

Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) comes to Hawaii to avenge his father's death, but when the Governor offers his own task force, he accepts. He picks up team members on the way, Danny Williams (Scott Caan), the head detective on his father's case, Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), a former Honolulu Police Department Detective who was fired for accused corruption, and McGarrett's father's old patrol partner, Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park), a Cadet at the Police Academy who's one week from graduating, Lori Weston (Lauren German), entry to Five-O temporarily, Catharine Rollins (Michelle Borth), a girlfriend of Steve, and Captain Lou Grover (Chi McBride), a former Chicago Police Department Head of S.W.A.T.

Season-by-Season Breakdown

Season 1

3.2/10

No overview available.

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Season 2

3/10

As Season 2 begins, McGarrett is in jail awaiting trial and Danny comes to visit him with a special guest. Danny finds out that Rachel's intentions may be different than he was hoping for. The task force gets a new team member whose job is to keep them in line.

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Season 3

2/10

The third season of Hawaii Five-0 picks up where season two left off, with Chin Ho being forced to choose between saving his wife or his cousin. McGarrett escorts his mother back to Hawaii and realizes she is in danger but question whether his mother may be keeping from him. Meanwhile, the team turns to ex-con and art expert August March to help hunt down a group of thieves.

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Season 4

4/10

Picking up where Season 3 left off, we find McGarrett and Wo Fat cornered by unknown assailants in a detainment facility in season 4 of Hawaii Five-0, forcing McGarrett to break the law and turn on his own in order to find a kidnapped Catherine. Meanwhile Kono and Adam's secret location in Hong Kong is compromised, and Kono and Adam fight to stay alive when their hidden location is discovered.

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Season 5

2/10

In the 5th season of Hawaii Five-0, McGarrett continues to try to bring closure to his father's case and closure to his mother's past, while the state's brash Five-O unit, who may spar and jest among themselves, remain determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state.

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Season 6

2/10

Hawaii Five-0 continues to wipe out the crime that washes up on the Islands' sun-drenched beaches in its 6th season. McGarrett and his team take on cases including a murder that leads to a centuries old lost pirate treasure, a copycat arsonist calling for the release of a murderous prisoner, and the unceasing hunt for Gabriel Waincroft.

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Season 7

3.5/10

In the season premiere, McGarrett refuses to listen to Danny's pleas to take it easy while recovering from surgery after the body of a serial killer is left in the Five-0 headquarters with an ivory chess piece in his mouth.

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Season 8

4/10

McGarrett, Danno and the Five-0 task force continue to wipe out the crime that washes up on the islands’ sun-drenched beaches, and this year are joined by new and old friends to help in their mission. Whether dealing with an infamous pyromaniac loose in the jungle, a devious black-hat hacker, stopping the dangerous Yakuza crime syndicate or planning to open a very bro-mantic restaurant, Five-0 continues to protect their loved ones, Hawaii’s citizens and visitors to the 50th state.

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Season 9

3/10

McGarrett, Danno and the Five-0 task force continue to wipe out the crime that washes up on the islands' sun-drenched beaches, and this year are joined by new and old friends to help in their mission.

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Season 10

2/10

The 10th season finds McGarrett and Five-0 reeling from the shots fired in HQ and who on the team was hit.

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Overall Series Review

*Hawaii Five-0* (2010-2020) is fundamentally a modern reboot of the classic police procedural, prioritizing high-octane action, weekly crime-solving, and the tight bond of its specialized task force, known as 'Ohana.' Across its ten seasons, the show consistently focuses on objective justice, loyalty, and the protection of the Hawaiian community from organized crime, corruption, and terrorism. The core dynamic revolves around the partnership between McGarrett and Danny Williams, a relationship that provides consistent emotional and comedic grounding without straying into non-platonic territory. The series demonstrates a consistent appreciation for its setting, heavily integrating Hawaiian language, culture, and the unique environment into its action sequences and character motivations. The task force itself is racially diverse, with characters consistently judged on their competence, military background, and skill rather than immutable characteristics. While later seasons introduce highly capable female characters—sometimes fitting the 'Girl Boss' mold—the show generally avoids emasculating its male leads, maintaining a balance where both genders are portrayed as essential professionals. Themes of traditional family, marriage, and responsible parenthood are frequently supported throughout the run. While the show largely eschews deep dives into modern ideological conflicts, it occasionally touches upon contemporary social themes. Early seasons remain staunchly normative, celebrating institutional structures like law enforcement and the military as forces for order. Later seasons show slight, sporadic deviations, such as an arc favoring career over marriage or an episode questioning federal jurisdiction in favor of Native Hawaiian sovereignty, though these moments remain exceptions to the overall rule-of-law focus. Critically, the show is consistently devoid of anti-Western sentiment, anti-theist messaging, or explicit LGBTQ+ plot points, anchoring its morality firmly in traditional concepts of good versus evil. Overall, *Hawaii Five-0* delivers a decade of predictable, action-driven entertainment. It succeeds as a straightforward crime drama built on established genre tropes, prioritizing visceral excitement and the surrogate family dynamic of the team over complex or challenging political commentary. The series concludes as it began: a merit-based team protecting paradise.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics3.7/10

Oikophobia2.1/10

Feminism3.9/10

LGBTQ+1.7/10

Anti-Theism1.5/10