I am watching reruns of the original Hawaii Five-0, a show I loved when I was ten. Still entertains. Yes, its plotting is pokey with too many scenes of elite cops running in and out of offices (aka shoe leather.) Its politics ranges from earnest pleas for the environment to painful talk about a woman’s proper place. But what surprised me was the multiracial supporting cast. Landladies, drug dealers, crime lords, upstanding businessmen are played by local POC actors. This was to save money, I’m sure. How many actors could the producers afford to fly into Hawaii?
Even so, white men held the cards in 1971. Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord) is the super intense, alpha male running the state police force, Hawaii Five-0. His second-in-command is mayonnaise boy Danny (Danno) Williams. But the other two stars are Kono (Zulu) and Chin Ho (Kam Fong). Not the strongest actors, but they are given decent screen time and treated with respect by their peers. Kono stands in for all native Hawaiians and educates McGarrett on Hawaiian culture. As well, Harry Endo plays the extremely competent forensic technician in 115 episodes.
Kono educates Steve and Danno.
Unfortunately, the 2010 reboot of the series fails to advance on-screen representation (or the art of television). Grace Pak (Battlestar Galactica) is the new Kono, now a badass in a bikini. Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) plays her cousin Chin Ho Kelly. Kono and Chin Ho are pushed further to the background than in the original series. The two actors, more experienced and successful than the frat bros who play McGarrett and Danno, eventually quit the show because they were being paid 15 percent less than the boys. The new Hawaii 5-0 relegates actors of colour often to comic relief. I can’t watch the new version. I missed the accidental authenticity of the original show and McGarrett’s suits and intense professionalism.
Bro, where’s my suit?
By James Nadler
