Hawaii Five-0 is one of my favorite shows on TV these days. It’s got great action, lots of good drama, a fantastic cast and intriguing storylines in almost every episode. There are just a few things that I wish it had more of; things that another favorite show of mine, NCIS: Los Angeles, does really well.
Steady partnerships
When I watch Hawaii Five-0, no matter how good a particular episode may be, I can’t seem to help but to wish that the partnerships were more defined. On NCIS: Los Angeles, you know that you’re almost always going to see Sam with Callen, Kensi with Deeks and Nell with Eric. Having these partnerships clearly defined for so long on the show has allowed those relationships to really develop. Having the teams clearly defined on NCISLA also makes it a lot more fun when they do mix it up a bit.
On Hawaii Five-0, the teams aren’t nearly as well-defined. I mean sure, Danny and Steve are a team and so are Kono and Chin, but they are mixed up way too often for my liking. Every time I sit down to watch H50, I find myself crossing my fingers that my favorite partnerships will be put together and not mixed up again. With any episode, it feels like there’s about a 50/50 chance that we’ll see Steve and Danny, or Kono and Chin, partnered up and I just wish we had better odds than that per episode.
A team leader not on the team
Another thing that I think works well for NCIS: Los Angeles is the fact that their team leader isn’t really an active part of the team. Hetty has proven more than once that she still has mad skills in the field, and there’s no doubt that she could be on the team full-time if she wanted, but I like that she’s also got a certain amount of distance. It allows for the team to have a secondary team leader in the form of Callen, and I like that extra amount of interaction that creates between him and Hetty.
At first, it seemed kind of cool to have Steve as the team leader on Hawaii Five-0, but now I’m not so sure. His ranking within the team makes him feel different from everyone else, and not in a good way. I feel like the show would be better served if Steve was more like Callen in his team leadership and shared it with someone of higher rank on the outside.
Not just one hero
NCIS: Los Angeles is a great example of a group of people who each have a part to play in the cases that they solve. Everyone has a pretty clear role in the investigations they handle and it is nice to come into every episode sort of knowing what everyone will do. But at the same time, I never get the impression that it’s just one person on the team who is handling all of the work. They all do great stuff and there’s never just one hero who consistently does all the work all the time.
On each episode of Hawaii Five-0, there is almost always one hero: Steve. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Steve McGarrett and I think that he’s an amazing character. But I definitely feel like there are times when the show could be called “The Steve McGarrett Show.” Think about it, he usually gets all the good rescues, all the good stunts, and a lot of the best storylines. Not that the other characters aren’t given a few moments here and there, but they are few and far between compared to Mr. McGarrett. Why not share the love a little more? That’s all I’m saying.
What do you think of my comparison of Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS: Los Angeles? Do you agree with any of my points? Vehemently disagree? Sound off in the comments below and let me know, I love hearing from you guys!
Hawaii Five-0 airs on Monday nights at 10pm on CBS. NCIS: Los Angeles airs on Tuesday nights at 9pm on CBS.
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(Images courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
