Hawaii Five-O (original) (raw)
Hawaii Five-O was the longest continuous-running police TV series in the United States -- on CBS from September 1968 to April 1980 -- until Law and Order passed it in 2002, having first aired in 1990. Five-O was largely shot on location in Hawaii and followed the exploits of a special branch of the Hawaiian state police that gave the show its title. The police unit described in the show was entirely fictional, as Hawaii has no state police, but the name "Five-O" is a reference to Hawaii's being the 50th state admitted to the Union.
The star of the show was Jack Lord, who played Steve McGarrett, the head of Five-O who worked directly for the governor, for the show's entire run. One of its most notable achievements was to add the catch-phrase "Book 'em, Danno!" to the language. The phrase was spoken by McGarret at the end of many episodes, as he ordered his second-in-command Danny Williams (played by James MacArthur for the first eleven years, after which he left the show) to arrest the villain or villains of the episode.
Later, the expression "Five-O" became slang for the police in American gang culture.
The theme song, played by The Ventures, is instantly recognizable as classic surf music. The show is still running in syndication.