Why the World needs Steve McGarrett
Hawaii has some wonderful things to offer...or so I've heard. I've never actually been there, but I visit every week.
Before I truly begin this declaration of love for the CBS show, let me preface it by saying that I understand why people do not like remakes. Very rarely is the new version better or even comparable to the original version, whether it be a song, movie, or television show. And when a person has only see the remake, they are allowed to like it! You can't get mad at someone for being born at the wrong time.
Therefore, I understand why people who grew up in the 60s and 70s might prefer the original Hawaii Five-O. I love it myself! Jack Lord, Kam Fong, Zulu, and James MacArthur were am amazing team. Those who love the original grew up watching the original. But here's the thing...even though I was born in the late 80s and grew up in the 90s, I grew up watching the original, too! Sure, I may not have been around when the episodes originally aired, but I grew up with a father who watched reruns of The Monkees, Hawaii Five-O, and The Andy Griffith Show. I grew up listening to music that was already thirty years old at the time. I literally did not watch shows or listen to music from my own era, aside from cartoons, until I reached the fourth or fifth grade when I started hanging out with kids my own age at their house.
So I get it! I love the original, but the new one has its merits, too. I like to think of them as two separate shows because, aside from setting and character names, they are completely different shows. The new Hawaii Five-O is not trying to mimic the old one--it is doing its own thing! And I personally think the world needs shows like Hawaii Five-O. We need deep, intricate characters like Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams and Chin-ho Kelly and Kono. These characters teach us about loyalty in every single episode. I can't name one episode (except for when Alex O'Loughlin was in rehab and therefore not on the show at all) when Steve did not put himself in harm's way to protect a member of Five-O. Or when Danny did not share a heartwarming story about his daughter, Grace, and provide some comic yin to Steven's militant-one-minded yang. Or when Kono and Chin didn't share a cousinly hug or smile. Or when (because again, they aren't trying to recreate the original and so therefore have added some new characters) Max and Catherine and Kamakona haven't been around to make things just a little brighter. To bring hope to the governor's task force.
So if you refuse to buy into the new Hawaii Five-O because you are afraid it won't measure up to the original or because you did tune in and were disappointed that it was different, I suggest you give it another go. Don't think of it as a mirror image of what you remember. Think of it as a rebirth of those characters you once loved and as the reintroduction of good, quality television that reinforces values long missing from television.
And of course, stay gold.
Before I truly begin this declaration of love for the CBS show, let me preface it by saying that I understand why people do not like remakes. Very rarely is the new version better or even comparable to the original version, whether it be a song, movie, or television show. And when a person has only see the remake, they are allowed to like it! You can't get mad at someone for being born at the wrong time.
Therefore, I understand why people who grew up in the 60s and 70s might prefer the original Hawaii Five-O. I love it myself! Jack Lord, Kam Fong, Zulu, and James MacArthur were am amazing team. Those who love the original grew up watching the original. But here's the thing...even though I was born in the late 80s and grew up in the 90s, I grew up watching the original, too! Sure, I may not have been around when the episodes originally aired, but I grew up with a father who watched reruns of The Monkees, Hawaii Five-O, and The Andy Griffith Show. I grew up listening to music that was already thirty years old at the time. I literally did not watch shows or listen to music from my own era, aside from cartoons, until I reached the fourth or fifth grade when I started hanging out with kids my own age at their house.
So I get it! I love the original, but the new one has its merits, too. I like to think of them as two separate shows because, aside from setting and character names, they are completely different shows. The new Hawaii Five-O is not trying to mimic the old one--it is doing its own thing! And I personally think the world needs shows like Hawaii Five-O. We need deep, intricate characters like Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams and Chin-ho Kelly and Kono. These characters teach us about loyalty in every single episode. I can't name one episode (except for when Alex O'Loughlin was in rehab and therefore not on the show at all) when Steve did not put himself in harm's way to protect a member of Five-O. Or when Danny did not share a heartwarming story about his daughter, Grace, and provide some comic yin to Steven's militant-one-minded yang. Or when Kono and Chin didn't share a cousinly hug or smile. Or when (because again, they aren't trying to recreate the original and so therefore have added some new characters) Max and Catherine and Kamakona haven't been around to make things just a little brighter. To bring hope to the governor's task force.
So if you refuse to buy into the new Hawaii Five-O because you are afraid it won't measure up to the original or because you did tune in and were disappointed that it was different, I suggest you give it another go. Don't think of it as a mirror image of what you remember. Think of it as a rebirth of those characters you once loved and as the reintroduction of good, quality television that reinforces values long missing from television.
And of course, stay gold.
Comments
Post a Comment