Best Theme Song Ever!

Hawaii Five-O began in 1968 and ran for an amazing 12 seasons. Jack Lord led the show as Det. Steve McGarrett, and James MacArthur as Det. Danny "Danno" Williams was the faithful and dependable side-kick. Together with the rest of the Five-O team, crimes are solved and criminals captured against the beautiful backdrop of Hawaii. This show has probably contributed more to Hawaii's tourist industry than an other single source!

This is the crime show that set the standards for all those to come. Interesting and likable characters combined with a vintage edginess, thrilling crimes, and the lush exotic setting of Hawaii made for an irresistable show.
Harold Gould, James Hong, Ricardo Montalban, Leslie Neilson, and Martin Sheen can all be spotted in season three's episodes.

Whether the actors are big names or big question marks though, one can't help wondering how lucky they felt to be working in such a relaxing and beautiful setting! Magnum P.I. was built upon the ashes of Hawaii Five-O, but plans to include Jack Lord as a guest star never reached fruition as Lord retired from acting with the death of Hawaii Five-O. Both shows were wildly popular though and ran for ages; proving that crime serials with appealing characters set on the Island is simply a winning combination for viewing audiences.

In season three we find; a priceless violin stolen from a Russian violinist, Kono (a regular member of the Five-O team) held for ransom when he corners kidnappers, a clever insurance investigator gone bad, Danno loosing his grip when his girlfriend is brutally murdered, an innocent man freed from a life in prison, and the return of the devious Chinese agent Ho Fat. A two-part episode highlights McGarrett's arch-enemy as Ho Fat and a wealth of other criminals tussle over a set of perfect counterfeit plates.

The bitter rivalry between McGarrett and Ho Fat ran through all 12 seasons of the show. The tension between these two characters is visible even from Ho Fat's first appearance though. Season Three's addition to the competition between these polarized alpha personalities is one of the season's best offerings.

extras: This really is a bare bones edition. Other than including the original episodic promos, which probably haven't seen the light of day since the original network run, there are no special features included in this boxed set.

final thoughts: All 24 episodes of season three in a six disc boxed set for under 40$ on Amazon is a fair price for such an exemplary show. The inclusion of some decent extras would certainly be welcomed by both ardent fans and newcomers, but this is the only flaw in an otherwise beautifully packaged set from Paramount.

If you like crime shows and have somehow missed this Grandfather of them all, I highly recommend it for pleasurable viewing. Season three is when the show really began to not only find it's own wave, but ride it and ride it well. Noir at it's tropical island best, Hawaii Five-O offers viewers plenty of entertainment even decades later!