Of the prevailing TV franchises, which is your favorite?
“Law and Order,” the original and its variants, like “Law and Order, SVU” (with Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson) and “Organized Crime” (a new spin-off with Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler), and “CriminaI Instinct” in syndication. Also in the mix: “Trial by Jury,” “Los Angeles,” “True Crime.” The original ran 20 seasons ; “SVU” is the all-time champ, with 22 seasons and counting.
“NCIS,” the original as well as the spin-offs, “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” and the not-yet-born “NCIS: Hawai‘i”?
“Chicago,” and its trio of red hot hits, “Med,” “Fire,” and “P.D.”?
Current new “Law” and “Chicago” series are still in production, on primetime NBC and CBS, but the reruns are plentiful, over several platforms, on KPXO (ION TV), USA, and other streaming services.
Procedurals, featuring crime investigators and first responders, continue to be immensely popular and are not likely to disappear anytime soon.
FYI, the “Law & Order” template is not yet over; “Law & Order: Hate Crimes” and “Law & Order: For the Defense” are also brands seeking an audience; the former might emerge on the
Eric Christian Olsen, who co-stars as Marty Deeks on CBS’ “NCIS: Los Angeles,” has frequently spent his off-season with his family in Hawai‘i, and has publicly endorsed the notion of a spin-off established in the islands.
On “Entertainment Tonight” last week, Olsen expressed interest in a cameo on the new sister show, “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” which is establishing roots in the islands in preparation for its debut this fall. Olsen kiddingly said he was open to joining “Hawai‘i” fulltime, but clearly, he’s bound to continue with “L.A.” which will return to its Sunday slot this fall.
But with the island-based show, it’s highly possible that “L.A.” and “Hawai‘i” could option crossover shows, perhaps not in the Pearl Harbor-based newbie’s first season, but sometime in the distant future. “L.A.” did a crossover with “Hawaii Five-0” previously.
Eric Christian Olsen
“Hawai‘i” will drop anchor at 9 p.m. Mondays in the fall, with the mothership show “NCIS,” starring Mark Harmon, switching nights and time slot to 8 p.m. Mondays (moving from Tuesdays) to serve as the lead-in show to the Hawai‘i brand. “L.A.” will be the lead-in for “SEAL Team” at p.m. Sundays. …
The Hawai’i connection
Meantime, Vanessa Lachey, who is portraying Jane Tennent in the “NCIS: Hawai‘i” newbie, is eager to make her mark here. “I’m excited to bring a different layer to this role and hopefully inspire this next generation of young girls and women,” she says of her character, the first in the NCIS brand led by a woman.
Vanessa Lachey
She is half-Filipino and spent some time n Hawai‘i when her military father served here. “I obviously know the first layer that most people know when they pass through and see the beautiful waters and the beaches,” she was quoted in a CBS promo. “But what I’m interested to show is the depth to the people of Hawai‘i. “There’s so much culture here … hopefully I can portray to everyone and show the beautiful side Hawai‘i.” …
A starting point would be to enrich and ensure the scripts with relevant and realistic tales and characters that reflect the culture and pride that make Hawai‘i special and credible. The writers need to learn about the ‘aina and instill these virtues in the people on screen. …
The ‘Bull’ shed
CBS recently dropped TV series ‘Bull’ showrunner, Glenn Gordon Caron, for allegedly creating a “toxic” workplace. Thus, the Michael Weatherly-starring courtroom drama is temporarily healing from in-house drama similar to the Peter Lenkov-led “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.” and “MacGuyver” during the past season.
Michael Weatherly
What’s with these out-of-control TV execs? Are calm and orderly productions a thing of the past? With the unrest and messy tenure, “Bull” apparently is shuffling gears to begin planning a new season this fall. Weatherly himself previously had conflicts with a guest actress that still has left some residue about the resolution.
Perhaps all this brouhaha might have been avoided if Weatherly – still remembered for his Tony DiNozzo character on the Harmon-led “NCIS” – made the leap to the Hawai‘i brand, as fan buzz had wanted. Water under the bridge now. …
Name-dropping
Alex O’Loughlin, the Aussie actor who portrayed Steve McGarrett in the now-shuttered “Hawaii Five-0,”apparently still owns a home he purchased for $3.5 million here in 2011 in the midst of his filming of the CBS show here. That issue, and his worth as an actor and entertainer, was raised by Wealthy Gorilla, which reports that O’Loughlin now is worth $25 million. …
Reminder: Henry Kapono hosts “A Tribute to Jimmy Borges” at Blue Note Hawaii on Thursday evening. John Kolivas and his Honolulu Jazz Quartet also participates….
“You Had Me at Aloha,” a rom-com filmed in Hawaii, will premiere June 5 on the Hallmark Channels.
It features Hallmark regulars Pascale Hutton as Paige and Kavan Smith as Ben in a familiar template of the collision of romantic and occupational friction before a happy ending.
When a popular travel show host resigns, the network taps Paige (Hutton) as the replacement host for the coming season in Hawaii. But she doesn’t know that the network also hired Ben (Smith) who becomes a thorn in the picture. The two co-hosts clash with each other over opposing ideas but eventually learn – in Hallmark tradition – that co-existence in side-by-side jobs can wind up happily.
Hutton and Smith, in “You Had Me at Aloha.”
Other actors include Jennifer Asplund as Millie, Valen Ahlo as Luis, Sebastian Siegal as Todd, and Marysa Carr as Leimomi.
The production is directed by John Putch with screenplay by Rick Garman, and the Hawaii landscapes – the falls at Waimea, the tropical turf of Kualoa Ranch, the frolicking beach moments, the charm of a farmer’s market and the resort glamor of the Kahala resort – are visual postcards that will connect with viewers.
In online promos, Sutton rightfully opines, “Hawai’i is the most beautiful place on Earth.”
Looks like a hot summer run for Hallmark fans. …
Knock, knock, who’s there?
Who knew there’d be a portentous reality in “Leave the Door Open,” the hit song by Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak, DBA as Silk Sonic.
The door was ajar, indeed, for the tune to rebound to sneak into the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top 100 this week, after earlier slipping to No.2. It previously was perched at No. 1 for the first time on April 17.
It’s not that common for a song to reign atop the charts, then zoom back up a month later.
Good job, dudes! Silky sonics work! …
Name dropping
Henry Kapono and the Honolulu Jazz Quartet will prevail at “A Tribute to Jimmy Borges,” at 6p.m. May 27 at Blue Note Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki. Tickets: $35 at bluenotehawaii.com. Live screen option $20 at bluenotehawaii.com …
Jimmy. Borges
And Johnny Helm & Friends take the spotlight at 6 and 8:30 p.m. May 28 at Blue Note Hawaii. Also featuring Nic Kalei and John Cruz. Tickets: $30 premium, $20 loge, at bluenotehawaii.com …
And that’s “Show Biz.” …
‘NCIS: Hawai‘i’ lands Monday slot
According to CBS, the “NCIS: Hawai‘i” spinoff will be screened at 9 p.m. Mondays, piggybacking with the mothership show, “NCIS” (starring Mark Harmon), this fall.
That’s an indication that someone at the network – perhaps Harmon himself – wanted to kokua the newbie production, which likely will follow the lead-in Harmon show, which has been a Tuesday staple for years—as well as being the No. 1 procedural and a ratings blockbuster for most of its livelihood on CBS …
How much is too many, when it comes to subscriptions to streaming service
I subscribe to four sources now: Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime. And pretty much happy with the range of content, old and new.
I’m eligible to screen HBO Max, too, since I’ve had HBO (the qualifier) along with the likes of Showtime, Discovery, National Geographic, TBS, TCM, Food Network, Cartoon Network, History, Lifetime, Hallmark, Nickelodeon, etc.…from yesteryear’s bundling.
About HBO Max: I can get it via computer, but not on TV. Mine is a Smart TV, but not smart enough—requires an Amazon fire stick, which I have, but there’s a lack of ports to plug it in.
But I digress. How many is too much?
Of the many other options, I’d like to acquire Apple TV, even Discovery Plus.
But it’s expensive and there’s no way you can watch what’s available now.
I remember the days where you had only three TV options – NBC, CBS, ABC – which made choices easier.
Are you caught in the tornado of streaming services?
So Hawaii News Now is airing Rap Reiplinger’s classic “Rap’s Hawaii,” at 9 p.m. Saturday (May 22) on KHNL. A hana hou screening will be at 10:30 p.m. May 30 on KGMB.
According to the station, the vintage show is marking its 40th anniversary this year, hence the revival on the small tube.
And coincidentally, as I was clearing out some of the craft supplies yesterday, three circular items fell out of a box.
They turned out to be three milk cover souvenirs – the covers also are known as pogs, alluding to bottles of passion orange juice back in the day when paper caps topped the bottling. These pogs were promotional keepsakes that say “Barry get da Ukus!,” a routine from Reiplinger’s “Poi Dog with Crabs” viny comedyl album.
Four decades of raps from Rap! Miss him dearly, but clearly, his punchlines are still alive today. “Not too sweet, not too rancid, but just right.” “Russell, you get pen?” “No go out with Mits Funai.”
If you’re foreign to the quotes – part of the kamaaina lexicon – you better watch the show.
NOTE: The airdates are updated from the original post.
