To be honest with ya, I mostly enjoyed the classic as unintended humor. McGarrett was a strong, almost brooding character, but his 1956-hair-style in the late 1960s through the 1970s was laughable. Dano was something of a nebish. Chin Ho Kelly was likely to too heavy to really be a effective field agent. Kono was ok.
The new McGarrett and Dano are much more equal, more like Starsky and Hutch than the original McGarrett and Dano. Their repartee is enjoyable. Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho is a lot better and more believable than the original, and it's good to see the actor back from Lost (and its disastrous ending). And one of the best changes is Grace Park as Kono, who brings her beautiful, dangerous Cylon from Battlestar Galactica to the new Hawii Five-0 team.
Judging from the first episode, it looks as if the bad guys will be even more international than they were on the original show. One of the best villains in the classic was Wo Fat - Chinese spy and McGarrett's arch-enemy. It'll be interesting to see if he crops up in the new version, but, even if not, the current world and our battle with terrorists will no doubt provide a lot of suitably serious villains to follow along with those wet bathing suits that move more brightly than ever on the new show.
The Plot to Save Socrates
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
