Hawaii Five-0

The original Hawaii Five-0 was well before my time (I'm more of a Magnum PI girl myself, surely they'll remake that soon?) but I was hoping this modern version of the old cheesy classic would tick the following boxes: charismatic actors, cool effects (including sh*t blowing up!), entertaining plots and snappy dialogue.

Watching the pilot,these are the things that kept running through my mind:

Is that Nicholas Cage's little brother or something?
Doesn't a good actor make you believe his character is plausible and realistic? And doesn't the decision on casting come down to the producers? If this is the case, which producers thought it was a good idea to cast Alex O'Loughlin as lead character Detective McGarrett? He's a cutie (and an Aussie) but are we supposed to believe that this kick-ass Navy Seal was born and raised in Hawaii? This actor seems to have only one type of American accent which to my ears sounds like New Jersey; I didn't know Hawaiians talked like Tony Soprano. Plus if you close your eyes, you could swear Nic Cage has come to TV to pay off some of those pesky tax bills - their voices are eerily similar! Try it, close your eyes and you'll think it's Nicolas Cage; it's distracting.

Why don't sidekicks get their own shows?
By far the best part of Hawaii Five-0 for me was Scott Caan as the trusty sidekick Danny "Danno" Williams. His delivery made the banter between the reluctant partners funny and even the scenes with his daughter were laced with humor and realness. The Scott Caan scenes delivered more than any others. Speaking of awesome sidekicks, Bruce Campbell as Sam in Burn Notice is one of my all time favorite costars. For more on what I think of Burn Notice, click HERE.

Can someone please surprise me already?
I know it's a remake but I was hoping to see something, anything at all that hasn't been done before. But I was left disappointed. For instance, the bad guys - we've seen it before on CSI, Law & Order and yes, Burn Notice. The technology - it can also be seen in Criminal Minds, NCIS Los Angeles and even new show Nikita. In fact, I think Burn Notice is an example of this genre done well; it is an ensemble piece, sh*t blows up, there's fun banter but what makes it unique is we get a spy's view and insight (mostly done in the voiceovers) as to what they're doing to catch the bad guys and how the cool tricks and gadgets work. It's that insider's view that can hold my interest in Burn Notice even with mediocre plots lines. And Hawaii Five-0, as well made as it is, just isn't that interesting.

I think...if you like sexy, slick TV shows set against beautiful beaches that have adventure, action and fast paced dialogue, Hawaii Five-0 only mildly satisfies but Burn Notice definitely delivers.