It is no secret that Alex O'Loughlin is looking to end his run as Steve McGarrett in "Hawaii Five-0" once the current season wraps up. Should that be the case, executive producer Peter M. Lenkov lays out their plans for a possible Steve-less future for the tropical police procedural series.
When the series reboot celebrated their 150th-episode milestone with a story centered on the team leader, O'Loughlin went on record during his press rounds that he is still looking to exit the series by the end of season 7. His decision was not born out of issues with cast mates or the crew, it is just that he is exhausted due to having to do action stunts on a weekly basis. The role calls for a lot of physical work on set given that he is a task force member and O'Loughlin explained that he just can't continue doing it with his age as well as due to a couple of injuries in the past few years.
Lenkov, on the other hand, who is very optimistic about nabbing at least another season after the current one, is spilling the beans on moving forward should O'Loughlin stay true to his words.
"If Alex elects not to come back, that's obviously going to be his choice. But we're moving forward as if the show's going to keep going," the Canadian TV and film producer told TV Guide. "Over the years, we've built such a strong family ... Clearly, there's the Danny [Scott Caan]/McGarrett relationship, and McGarrett is such a strong character, and the franchise was built on the shoulders of McGarrett. But I think episodes that have McGarrett playing lesser of a role, and we sort of put other characters forward, I think they do just as well and I think people really like the family that we've built."
The backup plan, however, does not mean that there have already been conversations about O'Loughlin's departure. In fact, Lenkov shares that they have yet to talk about it. More so, he also hopes that while "Hawaii Five-0" still runs its seventh season, the actor will still reconsider his decision.
Meanwhile, in tonight's episode titled " Elua la ma Nowemapa (Two Days in November)," the team goes on a bit of a trip down memory lane. They investigate a theory about John F. Kennedy's assassination having been ordered by his own cabinet when a conspiracy theorist reveals new and compelling evidence supporting the claim.
"Hawaii Five-0" season 7 airs every Friday, 9 p.m. ET on CBS."
