Hawaii Five-0 TV Poster Image

Hawaii Five-0

age 15+
(i)

 

Lots of guns, gore in violent remake of classic cop show.
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What parents need to know

Positive messages

The show is about fighting/stopping crime, but the characters don't like following regulations: The Hawaii Five-0 unit was formed to take out the worst criminal elements, apparently without regard for due process or constitutional rights. Search warrants are unnecessary, and when in doubt, the characters shoot first and ask questions later (that is, if the suspects survive).

Positive role models

Steve McGarrett is brave, loyal, daring, and willing to put his life on the line to bring down the bad guys. He's true to his pals and willing to give good people the benefit of the doubt. But criminals and terrorists should beware of making him mad, because McGarrett will shoot with little provocation. He's a character who works best in a world where everything is black or white, good or bad. The show's cast is diverse overall, and much has been made of the fact that co-star Grace Park was cast in a role that went to a man in the original series.

Violence

Well-trained commandos frequently take on equally well-trained terrorists and criminal gangs using automatic weapons, attack helicopters, and some intense martial arts moves. Lots of gun battles, and people are shot and some die (albeit generally quickly and fairly bloodlessly). There is also sexually tinged violence: A woman in a tight, short Halloween costume is chained to a workbench begging a killer to let her go; he ignores her pleas and begins doing something terrible to her face that splatters him with blood. There are dead bodies shown, bloody and mauled.

Sex

Plenty of women in bikinis. An undercover officer must take off her dress, ostensibly to prove she isn't carrying a wire, but the bad guys take the opportunity to leer at her in her underwear. Unmarried adults talk about sex and seduction, and kiss before the camera cuts away and implied sex takes place offscreen. The camera sometimes pans slowly up the bodies of female victims as they beg for mercy or scream in terror.

Language

Words include "fricking" and "son of a bitch."

Consumerism

The characters often use iPhones and iPads, and the show promotes the U.S. Navy enthusiastically, with characters often making statements like serving in the Navy was a father's "duty to his country."

Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Characters often relax with beers at the end of the day, though they are careful to avoid alcohol when on duty.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Hawaii Five-0 is an often-violent cop show -- and a more intense remake of the classic TV series -- that focuses on an elite unit of crime fighters who are tasked with bringing down the worst elements of Hawaii’s underground, with very little in the way of rules or regulations (or regards to civil rights) to get in their way. There's a lot of shooting first and asking questions later -- though not everyone survives the shooting part. Expect lots of gunfights, often using automatic weapons, and some deaths. As the series has progressed, it's grown more violent, and more likely to focus on murder than other crimes. Viewers will see car accidents, scantily clad women in jeopardy, serial killers, dead bodies, violence that causes blood to splatter everywhere, and so on. There are also autopsies with bloody, gory dead bodies on a table, and graphic photos of their injuries displayed above. Beach scenes are often an excuse for the camera to leer at women in bikinis. Other than the name, the location, and -- of course -- the theme music, there's little connection between this series (which, like most contemporary crime shows, also includes some drinking, language, and skimpy outfits) and the original.

What's the story?

Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin), a former Navy SEAL, returns home to Hawaii to bring down the terrorist who killed his father. When he arrives, the governor (Jean Smart) offered him a job: heading up an elite new crime-fighting unit designed to bring down the worst offenders in the islands. "Your rules," she promised him, "my backing, no red tape." In other words, McGarrett had free rein to hunt down the bad guys with no regard for standard cop procedure. He could shoot first and ask questions later. But McGarrett's carte blanche was cut short when the governor was murdered, and the new governor had much less patience with his freewheeling ways. Now McGarrett acts more like a traditional cop, chasing down clues in each week's case with the help of his team: Danny "Danno" Williams (Scott Caan), a New Jersey expatriate who's no fan of the beach; Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), who was caught up in a corruption scandal and forced out of the Honolulu Police Department; and Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park), Chin Ho's cousin, the least experienced team member who's eager to make a name for herself. Other recurring characters include Dr. Max Bergman (Masi Oka), the chief medical examiner who performs autopsies under the direction of the Five-0 team, Lieutenant Catherine Rollins (Michelle Borth), Steve McGarrett's sometimes-girlfriend and Navy intelligence officer, and Kamekona (Taylor Wily), a shave ice truck owner and informant who's chummy with McGarrett.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Hawaii sure seems dangerous these days. The bad guys are all packing automatic weapons, and spooky serial killers are on the loose. Good thing the HAWAII FIVE-0 unit is there to stop this unprecedented crime wave. In this cop show (a remake of the classic TV series with one of the best-known theme songs ever), McGarrett treats law enforcement like a military engagement: Shoot first, and shoot to kill (and thanks to his deal with the governor, there are no pesky reports to fill out afterward). As the show has progressed, it's gotten more violent than ever, more like CSI than a shoot-em-up cop show, with violent, gory, and bizarre murders committed on comely young female victims.

Don't look for realism here. This show is all about the action, and there's plenty of it. There isn't really much connection to the original series, either. The names are the same, and the location, and -- of course -- the music. But otherwise, this is just another cop show, albeit one with particularly choice casting, particularly for guest stars and recurring minor characters.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about how the show's cops go about their business. What do you think about the idea of "good guys" who aren't obligated to follow standard procedure? Is this a good way to eliminate the worst criminals, or a slippery slope where rights are involved?

  • How does this series compare to the original? What's similar and what's different? Why do you think producers opted for a remake?

  • What's the impact of the show's violence? How does it compare to that in other crime/cop shows you've seen?

TV details

Premiere date:September 22, 2010
Cast:Alex O'Loughlin, Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, Scott Caan
Network:CBS
Genre:Action
TV rating:TV-14
Available on:DVD

This review of Hawaii Five-0 was written by

Will Wade
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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Kid, 12 years old May 29, 2011
age 13+

Maika'i Hana kaeka

Ahh, Hawaii Five-O. Ever since season three of Castle has ended, this has been my go-to show. And to my suprise, it is actually really good!! Of course, it has barely anything on Castle, but we can't all be satisfied. Ok, violence. It shows more gore than Castle; the corpses are almost always shown, most of them gory. They also show drowned, strangled, and suffocated corpses. McGarret is not always rational; often he acts before he thinks. Kono is shown to be a clever, resourceful woman and is treated like one of the guys. Chin is her (really hot!) cousin that is always there for her. Yes, women are shown in teeny bikinis, but it's Hawaii for pete's sake. You know, with beaches and such?
What other families should know
Great role models
Too much violence
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Teen, 17 years old Written bydirectorkid15 March 14, 2015
age 14+

Five-0

This show is definitely one to watch. Although some parts may seem cliche for a cop or detective show, it is solid entertainment with good all around morals. I marked this as 14 and up mostly for the violence in it. There is a lot of gunfire in each episode, and the majority of the episodes revolve around crimes including murders, drug busts, kidnappings, etc. Of course, those are all things to be found in any other cop show on television today, so that's no different. Occasionally, dead bodies are shown and sometimes look gross or depending on the person, could cause someone to feel queasy. But those are a mere 10-30 seconds of a 40 minute show, so it can simply mean a turning away of the head if it's not something you want to see. Others have marked sex as something in the show. Personally, I think this show has very minimal sex references in it, especially compared to the culture and what is seen on television. The show definitely doesn't revolve around sex and it's rarely seen. There were one or two episodes where sexual references were implied, etc, but nothing to be alarmed about or give a reason to not watch the show. The cops in this show are great role models for kids to look up to. It shows the work put in by a former Navy Seal, Steve McGarrett, the main character in the show. His courage, bravery, and passion for taking care of the people of Hawaii rings true in every episode. There are constant references of looking out for family and protecting not only those you love, but those in the community and those in the country. I would definitely recommend this show.
What other families should know
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
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Teen, 14 years old Written bymylibrarycardworeout August 10, 2011
age 14+

Fun to watch!

There is violence in this but it is not gruesome or anything. There is positive role modeling of people working together. I never saw the original TV show but I really like this one. It is taking a little bit of all the TV shows which are out there right now and combining them. This is a must see and it has a great story line.
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Great role models
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