Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. Jack Lord portrayed Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett, the head of a special state police task force which was based on an actual unit that existed under martial law in the 1940s. The theme music composed by Morton Stevens became especially popular. Many episodes would end with McGarrett instructing his subordinate to "Book 'em, Danno!", sometimes specifying a charge such as "murder one".
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
Lewis Avery Filer had been an insurance investigator forced to retire when his company was taken over by a conglomerate. The wily Filer is now pulling daring robberies at businesses either owned or insured by the conglomerate. He utilizes a variety of tactics, including disguises. Filer also is gaining publicity as he outwits the police.
The Vashons are planning to go after Steve for killing Chris Vashon. His grandfather wants to send Steve a message that he's going to die. Honore, Chris' father, objects, unsuccessfully. Steve gets the message and goes to see Honore Vashon, who denies having anything to do with it. Chris's grandfather then hires someone to kill Steve but the attempt fails. Steve then has Honore placed under surveillance which the latter discovers and becomes very careful. He stops using his phone. Eventually he arranges a secluded meeting with his father who tells Honore they need to find someone outside the islands to take care of Steve. Eventually Honore evades the surveillance long enough to meet with the assassin. Steve knows there's someone out there with orders to kill him so he needs to find the assassin first rather than vice versa.
Chris Vashon is male heir to the Vashon crime family, which now has considerable legitimate business holdings. The young Vashon, a rebellious sort, has been conducting robberies with friends. McGarrett sees the development as a way of striking back at the Vashons. However, Five-O discovers that's easier said than done, when Honare Vashon, Chris's father, bribes witnesses and Chris Vashon beats the rap in court. McGarrett doesn't give up and attempts to trap Chris Vashon again.
Steve is approached by an astrologer who tells him that a boxer who has a bout on the island will die if he goes through with the fight. But Steve is incredulous.
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
One point per season. Smooths out the episode-to-episode noise to reveal the bigger arc.
Did each season build or fizzle? Green means the finale outscored the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows, bigger swings.
How steady is each season? Tightly clustered dots mean reliable quality. Scattered dots mean a wild ride.
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