Classic H50 is ending!

[Mr. Mike]

Let's pretend that we were in charge of Classic H50 way back when.

Similar to the new show, we want to end it for some reason. Maybe Jack Lord is tired of doing all those difficult stunts or whatever!

So the first question is, when should it end?

At the end of the sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth season? I think most people think the show started going downhill big time in the tenth.

So we have to decide when it would end ... but if this was to be at the end of the sixth season, there were still some good shows in the seventh to ninth seasons that should be seen! So what would those shows be? Remember, you can only get 24 or 25 maximum for the "final season."

There might be a way to cheat here, because Murder Eyes Only, Nine Dragons, Year of the Horse and Lion in the Streets ("maybe" for the last one) could all have been brought back after the "last season" of the show as made-for-TV movies...

Come on now, let's participate!!

[Bobbi]

Oh you mean like "Emergency!" and it's 'final season' being TV movies...so there's precedent for it

I would go ahead with Season 9 with a few changes: get rid of Til Death Do Us Part (it's just stupid!) and To Kill A Mind (I think they brought back Dr. Ormsbee one last time and could have skipped it). I would tweak To Die in Paradise to put the start of Danno's chase on Kauai into Act two or three rather than have it start all in Act Four. (I think that's how they did it, it's been a while since I watched). On top of that, bring Tall On The Wave and Descent of the Torches into Season 9.

Then I would end with Season 10 but ditch Angel in Blue and When Does a War End? (both are useless). Also possibly ditch A Death in the Family because it's all going to end. I would move The Pagoda Factor, Number One With A Bullet (2-parts), Stringer and finish with Year of the Horse.

Just my thoughts...

[JeffH]

I agree, Season 9 was quite good, necessitating a season 10 which could replace some of the crappier episodes from that season with some good season 11 shows (there are several), and then end the series with the season ender “A Death in the Family”. With some tweaks to the script, they could end with Chin’s funeral and bring back past characters like Kono, Ben, Doc Bergman, Che Fong, Manicote, Frank Kemana and even Nick from HPD together for a few brief scenes, giving proper closure to Chin, the other characters, and the series.

Then do a few TV reunion movies the next couple years (i.e. the season 11 finale, the season 12 opener), and if the ratings on those were healthy, start up a sequel series with a mix of new and returning characters, and use some of Mr. Mike’s Season 13 plots

[Bobbi]

JeffH: I like the way you think - that's brilliant!

You could have your made-for-TV movie be A Lion In The Streets with some (ok, a lot) of tweaking: continue to have Alika up to no good trying to take over the union and clash with Andy Kamoku while bringing in Johnny Mio from the East. The added twist is to somehow involve Wo Fat, who is now retired from he spy business and wants in on the action in Hawaii. Wo Fat could recruit either Mio or Carew or both to do his bidding. Wo would prefer Carew because his diabolical mind would like nothing more than to have McGarrett under his thumb. I think you could ditch the whole kapu nonsense since Danno would be back and you could call in the calvary that JeffH mentioned in his scenario. Chaos ensues but when it's all said and done, Alika is in jail, Mio is captured and sent to jail, Wo Fat is at last captured if you want (you could let him escape if the ratings were good for this one so you could bring him back for round two as it were) and Carew could go back to Boston if he wanted.

[barnzoboy]

A "Made for TV" movie would have been cool. I also have wondered if classic H-50 could have flourished with a theatrical extension beyond the TV show - think Mission: Impossible here, or something of that nature. Although obviously the TV reboot has served CBS very well.
If I had to simply draw a line at an existing season and say that's it, I would have to choose Season 9. Obviously some of the season's latter episodes would need to be re-done to accommodate the end, and I know this would in some cases throw the baby out with the bathwater for certain episodes of seasons 10 through 12, I think it's a pretty decent cutoff point.

[Todd]

I'm actually in the minority in that I liked middle-of-the-series seasons 6 & 7 the best, though I also really enjoyed 1-5, and 8-9.

Season 10 was a noticeable decline in quality, 11 fell even further (the departure of Chin was part of it, but the writing was much worse too), and 12 was an abomination.

It should have ended after 9, though as has already been pointed out, people would be complaining today that it ended when it was still good, and should have continued. It probably did "earn" a 10th season by its season 9 quality, but in hindsight, I would have rathered it ended there.

[Todd]

A "Made for TV" movie would have been cool. I also have wondered if classic H-50 could have flourished with a theatrical extension beyond the TV show - think Mission: Impossible here, or something of that nature. Although obviously the TV reboot has served CBS very well.
If I had to simply draw a line at an existing season and say that's it, I would have to choose Season 9. Obviously some of the season's latter episodes would need to be re-done to accommodate the end, and I know this would in some cases throw the baby out with the bathwater for certain episodes of seasons 10 through 12, I think it's a pretty decent cutoff point.

Unfortunately, while a TV Movie sounds good in theory, it probably would have been lousy.

Most TV-movie-after-the-series-ended efforts have been underwhelming.

"The Rockford Files", another '70s drama I love, had eight TV movies in the 1990s. All eight ranged from mediocre to terrible, with the very last one being the worst by far.

"Hunter" tried the same thing in the 2000s, and the TV movies also weren't very good.

Both shows were similar to Five-O, in that they were all '70s/'80s hourlong crime dramas. I'm kind of glad Five-O didn't do anything further until the reboot in 2010.

[Mr. Mike]

Kojak had multiple TV movies after the show ended. Streets of San Francisco and Ironside had one each. I have never watched any of these!

[ringfire211]

I would have had season 10 be the final season but cut out the crappy episodes and replace them with the better ones from season 11 (maybe even 12 - at least “Though the Heavens Fall” and maybe “Flight of the Jewels”).

Let me think what my season 10 would look like. Definitely “The Skyline Killer” would be the series finale - the final shot of McGarrett on top of the construction site as the camera sweeps across Diamond Head in the distance and the Five-O theme swells is classic!!! Everything about that scene just screams FINALE!!! More so than the actual finale with Wo Fat behind bars, complete with the comical striped pajamas he’s wearing. That whole episode was too much of a comic book story.

[ringfire211]

Ok, after careful deliberation here is what my 10th and final season would look like:

1. Up the Rebels
2. The Cop on the Cover
3. The Friends of Joey Kalima
4. Shake Hands With the Man on the Moon
5. Deep Cover
6. Tsunami
7. East Wind - Ill Wind
8. When Does a War End?
9. Angel in Blue
10. Tall on the Wave
11. Invitation to Murder
12. Frozen Assets
13. A Death in the Family
14. The Sleeper
15. Deadly Courier
16. The Case Against Philip Christie
17. A Distant Thunder
18. Death Mask
19. The Spirit is Willie
20. Stringer
21. The Execution File
22. Though the Heavens Fall (obviously with Danno instead of Kimo, and no Truck or Lori)
23. The Flight of the Jewels (again with Danno and no Kimo, Truck, or Lori)
24. The Skyline Killer (excellent series finale!)

** I also like Use a Gun, Go to Hell from the 12th season but it’s basically a rehash of season 7’s Diary of a Gun so there’s no need to include it in season 10.

Anyway that’s my ideal final season, if we chose to finish things off at season 10.

I excluded the following from season 10 to make room for my choices from seasons 11 and 12:

You Don’t See Many Pirates These Days
Descent of the Torches (I know many like this one but I just don’t see it)
The Ninth Step
Deadly Doubles
Tread the King’s Shadow (good riddance!!)
The Big Aloha
A Short Walk on the Longshore
The Silk Trap
Head to Head
My Friend, the Enemy
A Stranger in His Grave

[Bobbi]

OK Ringfire, I have to ask. Would you tweak Though the Heavens Fall at all?

The reason I ask is the scene I continue to scratch my head at: When Meredith Howell is kidnapped out of his house, Kimo and Lori are sitting in the driveway! I cannot for the life of me see Danno (or Duke) doing that. Would you tweak the episode at all to avoid that dumb scene or what? I'm more curious than anything.

Granted, the premise: an organized group of vigilantes take on Five-O to clean up the streets is a decent one. The execution of the episode as is, is absolutely horrible. I despise this episode, but that is my opinion.

[ringfire211]

Quite honestly I don’t have a problem with Kimo and Lori sitting in the car while Howell gets kidnapped. For whatever reason it doesn’t bother me. If I recall correctly Howell didn’t want them inside the house right? So while outside how would they suspect that a band of vigilantes would abduct him by climbing up a cliff face in the back? I suppose they could have posted an HPD cop at the bottom of the cliff but that’s kind of stretching it. I’m ok with the way it’s presented.

I like the idea of these vigilantes and their Latin codes of justice. The country club setting, the fencing, the archery, Robert Reed, and the jungle hunt at the end all work for me! It’s obviously not better than “Mother’s Deadly Helper” but for a season 12 episode it ain’t bad. Ain’t bad at all! Plus a good score by Bruce Broughton.

[Mr. Mike]

The show should have ended with the sixth season. You could probably pare down the number of good shows from the ones there now to maybe 16 or 17. But then it would be tricky to fill the remaining 7 or 8 slots.

It would be easier to end the series with the seventh season, drawing shows from the last six, including the seventh. Two-hour shows would appear later as TV movies. The finale should be some 2-hour movie with McGarrett finally nabbing Wo Fat, not the current one.

[Brian]

I would have the show as is through season 9. I agree, as others have mentioned, Season 10 would be the best of last three seasons to make up 22 episodes. The finale would be a two part episode for 23 and 24. During season 10 there would be three season long sub plot lines:
1. McGarrett is offered a job in Naval intelligence by the senator off and on during the season. The governor also tries to convince him to take it at times.
2. McGarrett has a love interest during the season. He meets her by stopping to respond to a minor fender bender or she is new to his Karate class. They get engaged mid season.
3. The team has outgrown the current office and construction is beginning on a new state of the art H50 station. McGarrett has a model on his table in his office and tours it at the beginning of an episode or two, is seen choosing paint colors, etc.

For episode 23, I think one of the more mediocre episodes is redone and shortened a bit to leave time at the end for McGarrett's wedding. This takes place on the stairs of the palace. Much like Jeff's suggestion of bringing everyone back for Chin's funeral, they come back for the wedding. The final few minutes of the episode is Wo Fat standing in front of a Chinese government review board where they tell him in subtitles that this is his last chance to do something about McGarrett. Episode 23 ends here as To Be Continued.
For episode 24, Wo Fat kidnaps McGarrett's new bride and Chin on the way to the reception. Wo Fat has set it up that McGarrett only has time to save one but not both. However, with everyone in town for the wedding, McGarrett comes up with a plan. Chin still dies in the last episode but not before an argument between him and Wo Fat about honor. McGarrett's bride also dies at the end and McGarrett goes after Wo Fat. The final fight scene is on a roof top (it would not be on a tram) that is full of Kung Fu, Karate, and so brutally violent that CBS gets hate mail. McGarrett in the end has Wo Fat held over the edge of the roof with the ability to drop him at any time. McGarrett then says, "For (and includes the name of every Wo Fat victim since Cocoon including Chin and his bride)". I am not sure how long this list is but Mr. Mike probably has it somewhere on the web site. Danno shows up while this is happening and yells "Steve!" every few names or so. In the end McGarrett doesn't kill Wo Fat but tells Danno to Book Em. Wo Fat's plan all along was to disgrace McGarrett by getting him to cross the line even if it meant himself, Wo Fat, has to die.

After a much needed commercial, its 1 year later. Danno is in the office with Jenny packing up the last few boxes and tells her he will meet her at the new station. On his way out he takes his name plate off the McGarrett's old office door and a picture of Chin off the wall and places them in his box. He pauses as he closes the office door one last time. On the way to his car, which is now a Mercury, he hears, "Dispatch to Williams, Dispatch to Williams. Shots have been fired at the intersection of X and X." He is also to call the governor on his way. We then cut to McGarrett at the cemetery at his wife's grave. He is in a Navy uniform and his hair is high and tight. After a tearful good bye, he goes to his beige sedan with government plates. On the radio is a disco version of the love theme. The song ends and the announcer says there was a shooting during a prisoner transport that is rumored to include a Chinese agent. The next song is a disco version of the military theme.

A few years later Jack Lord does make it to Magnum PI as a Naval Officer from the past. So much fan mail pours into CBS that they negotiate a record contract with Jack Lord to be the star of a show called NCIS. Che's character guest stars from time to time. This alternate universe presumes Jack Lord's health is good.

Hawaii Five O stays dormant until the mid to late 80s when CBS rushes a show to production simply called Five O. It is a reaction to Miami Vice and has very little to do with the original except it takes place in Hawaii. It is a flop and is cancelled after a short single season.

Hopefully I didn't jump the shark too much with my version of how to end it. Actually i should Google if the Fonz jumps the shark prior to when season 10 would have ended.

[Bobbi]

Well....

Some lived, many died but according to my list: 10,076 were victims to Wo Fat including the arch-nemesis himself (beaten and punched in the final episode during his fight with McGarrett). This is counting about 1000 people (figured about 900 attendees and 100 cops) who tried to stampede out of the circus when Wo Fat yelled, "He's got a gun!" in S07E12 "Presenting...In The Center Ring...Murder". This is without counting the hypothetical victims: victims of episodes where Wo Fat wasn't there but could have been working behind the scenes (i.e. Chinese spy rings, Chinese bidders for people or equipment).

With the hypothetical victims counted: 10,114.

No one has to say it, I know I'm insane. If you're interested, I have Tony Alika's numbers too. Although I think I only counted those he killed.

[ringfire211]

Mike, I completely disagree about season 6 or 7 being the last seasons. The show was at its peak during those years! And 8 and 9 are very strong seasons as well and I would absolutely hate losing those episodes. I mean season 9 only had 2 stinkers - “Let Death Do Us Part” and “See How She Runs”. That’s not a season I’m willing to lose. No way!!