Why did cbs cancel hawaii five 0

For 10 seasons, the rebooted “Hawaii Five-0” was a strong performer in CBS’ Nielsen ratings. A nostalgic combo play for baby boomers who grew up watching Jack Lord and James MacArthur attack perpetrators in and around Honolulu, and a sleek procedural aimed at fans of the network’s popular “CSI” and “NCIS” franchises, “Hawaii Five-0” is delivered in keeping with A very engaging cast and stories that explore its characters’ pasts without getting bogged down in long story arcs. “Hawaii Five-0” knew what its fans wanted, and never deviated from its tried-and-true formula.

When a series hits Nielsen’s sweet spot week after week, you’d think the network would bend over backwards to keep it running until people stopped watching. That’s what Fox continues working with “The Simpsons” Now in its 36th season, and how NBC has evolved with the “Law & Order” franchise. This makes CBS’s decision to retire “Hawaii Five-0” while it was downing its highest-ever Nielsen ratings (9.7) and No. 20 overall somewhat puzzling. Often times, soap operas become more expensive in part because the stars are more demanding of their salaries (Daniel Dae Kim says he has left the show due to a salary dispute), but there were multiple reasons why “Hawaii Five-0” ended in 2020.

When CBS officially announced it five years ago “Hawaii Five-0” She will be putting down her shield, issuing a statement praising the series’ long-running ratings success, network-friendly creatives, and committed cast. Peter M. Lenkov, who developed the reboot with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, responded graciously, making it all seem like a mutual agreement — which it was. Kind of.

In an interview with TVLine Before the series finale aired, Lenkov spoke candidly about the decision to end the series. Unsurprisingly, he would be happy to continue it. Per Lenkov:

“I thought we had a chance to go for another season — every season, I thought for some reason the show was going to end — but I think the network thought it was a good time. (…) There are a lot of different things that factor into this — the economics, everything — I think they felt it was the right time.

Although there was no hint of acrimony in Lenkov’s interview with TVLine, he did point out that there was one important reason the show was canceled: Alex O’Loughlin, who starred as macho Commander Steve McGarrett, was done hunting bad guys for 20 years. In addition to the season episodes. Although there are certainly worse places on earth to shoot police procedurals, the physical grind was getting to O’Loughlin. And before you start attacking the guy for being a spoiled TV star, maybe hear him talk about how angry he is after 10 seasons as McGarrett.

According to the deadlineO’Loughlin was seeking to leave “Hawaii Five-0” before the tenth season due to a serious back injury he suffered early in the series. The star backed this up and then some in an interview with TVLine, claiming:

“I broke my shoulder and one knee. I had my elbow tendon reattached. I have bulging discs in my neck and back. I don’t know where to start. I’m a mess, and it’s been really hard, I think, when I’ve been doing most of my stunts in the last few years.” One – that wasn’t a great idea, but the physical exhaustion of working with an injury and working long hours day after day, year after year (…) the whole show was very physically exhausting, and that’s one of the things I’m trying to figure out at the moment and I don’t know How long can I Do this.

O’Loughlin’s exit didn’t have to be the end of “Hawaii Five-0,” Lenkov told TVLine. There was talk of bringing in new recurring character Lincoln Cole (Lance Gross) full-time, but when Scott Caan made clear his desire to follow O’Loughlin out the door, that plan was rejected.

Ultimately, Lakoff diplomatically blamed the network for canceling the show. “I think Alex wanted this to be his last year,” Lenkov told TVLine. “He didn’t have a contract (…) but he didn’t have a contract last year either, and an agreement for a one-year extension was reached at the last minute, right before Upfronts (in May 2019). If the studio wanted to bring the show back for the season “11, I have to believe they were going to try to convince Alex to stay but now it’s moot.”

Obviously there was some fan dissatisfaction with the beloved series ending when it became more popular than ever (similar scenario Recently played with “Blue Bloods”), but 10 seasons is a very difficult period. There will always be more to scratch than the ones TV viewers have encountered solving crimes since the early days of the medium.