Hawaii

It's relatively entertaining, but the content is more than a bit rough for its 7 p.m. time slot.

Like the shallow exploits of Crockett and Tubbs, Hawaii emphasizes style and flash over substance, powered by the kind of intelligence you'd expect from a coconut.

Hawaii isn't half as cool as "Hawaii Five-O," nor nearly as frothy fun as "Magnum P.I." What it amounts to, in an ocean of really good cop shows across the dial, is a retro failure built around people you don't really care about saying stupid things you can't muster enough interest to snicker over.

If the networks keep up this pattern of releasing dreck before the usual start of the TV season, it will have a record number of cancellations by Canadian Thanksgiving. [1 Sept 2004, p.R2]

The landscape is beautiful, the stars are beautiful, but watching Hawaii is like staring at a department store window: Everyone wears cool clothes, the scene is hip and tries to look fun, but there's not much substance to any of it.

There is nothing distinctive or exciting about this show, other than the pink-hued skies and the dramatic ocean-scapes...Why NBC would even bother with a crime show this stale and derivative is a mystery.

This is no Hawaii Five-O. It's Hawaii Zero. [29 Aug 2004, p.3]