A few weeks ago, a couple readers and I discussed Hawaii 5-0’s key demographic, which I continue to wonder about. After the first week featured bikini and underwear shots of Kona and the second episode included an in-ground pool cat fight (you’re welcome, Tim-1), I assumed the male teen demographic would flock in droves. But, since then, with commercials focusing on getting wet (including an O’Loughlin/Caan/Kim wet t-shirt contest), a shirtless office-changing, ocean-surfing O’Loughlin (you’re welcome, female viewers), and this week’s blatant Facebook campaign urging viewers to watch O’Loughlin’s steamy sex scene, I’m beginning to wonder.
A little over two weeks ago, Hawaii Five-0 hit 12.24 million viewers and a 3.5 rating, allowing it to maintain first place at the 10pm time slot. But, last week, it dropped to 10.7 million viewers with a 3.1 rating and lost its spot as number 1 amongst males 18-34. Is it because the story-lines are slowly losing their action-packed, well-written awesomeness or is it because of the shift in eye candy? Personally, I’m fine if there’s a healthy balance, but it shouldn’t skew one way or the other. I won’t lie, a shirtless O’Loughlin always makes me watch more. Interestingly, Hawaii 5-0 did well in Nielsen’s DVR report, with a 3.9 rating amongst younger viewers.
So, I’m wondering about the show’s demographic and who watches it. McGarrett’s interrogation style and the action scenes dictate a younger male focus. However, the absence of clichéd story-lines and poor dialogue (excluding the recent addition) indicates an awareness of viewers who don’t want their action spoon-fed. Yet, O’Loughlin’s mega-hotness intimates an awareness of female viewers. And, the McGarrett-Danno bromance could go either way. While the re-boot itself, could either attract/repel older viewers.
This show will continue to remain on my radar because it’s fun, the outdoor shots are beautiful, and although I’m concerned about the past two episodes’ flagging energy and offset cast balance, I continue to watch. But, what about everyone else? Who do you think watches?
Clacked by An Nicholson 
on Oct 21, 2010 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
I think that the energy is down with Danno hobbling around. I hope it comes back. I like the show and I am a woman in my 50’s. But I like procedurals with cast chemistry in general. Other shows – Burn Notice, Castle, NCIS, Chuck, Supernatural.
I have to admit, I’m of two minds. I think Danno’s cane adds to the show, at the same time, I wonder if his diminished physicality has caused a couple rewrites which possibly takes away from the energy. Either way, I agree I loved the cast chemistry of eps 1-3 and hope that returns -
I’m a gay guy in my early 40’s who doesn’t find O’Loughlin attractive at all. I also don’t watch procedurals or mega-violent shows, but I’ve been watching this one. I tuned in primarily for the theme music, which unfortunately doesn’t ever appear in the body of the show. The HD views of Hawaii are a big attraction. And Scott Caan has become the real star of the show–he can make any dialogue funny–and they actually write some good lines for him. I actually think the cane and his limited mobility has added to his character. I also like Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim.
I fast-forward through the action/superviolent scenes. I doubt I’ll be a faithful viewer. O’Loughlin is just too wooden a performer for me to care at all about McGarrett. I also find it hard to believe the governor of Hawaii would have that much free time to directly supervise him. The whole thing plays like some hyper-male fantasy: carte blanche to go anywhere, do anything, shoot people, rough them up illegally, etc. So I don’t know who the audience is. It seems way too violent for people old enough to remember the original show.
It’s odd, I never viewed the show as too violent (although I found McGarrett’s interrogation scenes a tad uncomfortable), but, you’re right, it is a Robinson Crusoe-like fantasy. While I think the governor’s micro-managing a bit and I doubt it’d happen for even a state like NJ/Mass, but I’ll pretend that for smaller states i.e. Hawaii/Rhode Island/Alaska maybe the governor would have slightly more time for a small task force (although the task force probably would report to one of their subordinates/serve as a branch in a pre-existing organization) –
I agree that O’Loughlin is pretty stiff in the acting department and there could’ve been a much better choice for McGarrett. We’ve got to live with what we have and hope he loosens up with time. It’s happened; just look at Anna Torv on Fringe. She’s really improved an incredible amount from season 1.
Where I respectfully disagree with you is your assertion that the show may be too violent for viewers of the original. Both my Dad and I are old enough to remember the original and neither of us is bothered by the violence. I’m 50 and he’s 79. I find the assumption that older people are turned off by violence or sex to be a bit offensive, and I’m not pointing that comment directly, or only, at you. It seems to be a broad assumption on the part of many people, but I contend that you’ll find as many 18 year olds turned off by extreme violence as you will 68 year olds. It’s a matter of personality, not age. Although changes in what’s accepted in entertainment over the years will tend to make younger viewers skew towards acceptance of violence a bit more than older folk, I don’t think it’s as dramatic as everyone is assuming.
You are spot-on with the “hyper male fantasy” observation and for me that’s part of what makes it fun. While it’s not great TV, at least it’s got a few things separating it from other procedurals. Now if only there was a way to get Grace Park in a soaking wet bikini for every episode, and perhaps Daniel Dae Kim for you (sans the bikini in his case, of course)!
Your point that aversion to violence isn’t necessarily tied to age is well taken. I’ve never been a big fan of it, even as a teenager. (I was specifically talking about violence, not sex–I wish popular culture was half as concerned about gratuitous violence as it is about sex).
I think I was coming from the perspective that the original show certainly didn’t have this much “action”, although I’ve never seen the original show (just the opening credits). I’m assuming that network standards & practices back then didn’t allow the same degree of gunfire, blood, and semi-torture scenes that the new one shows as a matter of course. So someone familiar with the old show might be unpleasantly surprised by those elements in the new one.
I dropped off. There was just not enough elements that I enjoy to keep me. My mother in law who is in her 70’s likes O’Loughlin a great deal though! :)
Say it ain’t so, bsgfan! Give it time. In three episodes or so, it might return to show quality of old!
An, you wrote a post I just cannot resist to comment on. It gives me an excuse to mention Grace Park in an academic way that may keep me off the couch (in case my lovely, very understanding, and intelligent wife reads my posts again). But first a word or two about the violence some complain about.
Most, if not all the violence on H5-0 is, to be sure….very clean. In other words, there is almost no gore, almost on par with those old westerns of yesteryear, albeit a lot more realistic in the dramatic sense. Actually you can probably say this on most network tv shows. If one keeps in mind that the main goal of tv is to entertain or wow us then I don’t see how a directer or writer can realistically keep some violence out of a cop show. I think the main problem is to come up with very good writing. I imagine it is difficult to come up with new ideas considering the billion cop shows that have aired over the years, but H5-0 is coming through nicely. To paraphrase An (site author) from an earlier post “it is better to nitpick smaller issues than the writing and creativity”. unquote. You see, An was stressing the bottom-line importance of good writing.
I will say this about demographics….No matter what age group, most people love to look at good-looking people. That takes care of the age-group part of it. I think this show SHOULD bring in a lot of female viewers considering the handsomeness of the male acters. But in the long run, the show just has to be good to succeed. Hotness helps to hook the viewers but quality programming reels em in.
The exception to the rule is Grace Park. When you have one of the world’s most attractive women like Grace Park, people will watch if she is on a reality show on how to knit socks for grampa. Grace gets some scenes but I think she is being underused the last couple episodes. Why do they hold back their most brightest star….
I am grateful GP is in H5-0 but I would like her to be the lead. “Nikita” (with all due respects to the lovely Maggie Q) would have been a perfect role for her. But I’m not complaining, At least she is on the show.
*POST AUTHOR*
Tim-1, I knew that if I mentioned Grace Park in a bikini you might appear shortly thereafter. And, I always love when people quote me.
On the violence issue, I remember watching the original as a kid. While I don’t believe the current version is more violent, it is more active, as ScottH pointed out. You rarely saw McGarrett pull a gun or raise his voice in the original, but half of the re-boot features cast members running with guns drawn in bulletproof vests or kicking in doors with raised voices. So, while we don’t see more “on-screen” violence, there is the implication of it. Also, when physical violence exists through McGarrett’s perp threats, they are more realistic. Although McGarrett 2.0 pulls exactly the same tricks as Hannibal (A-Team) and Crockett/Tubs (Miami Vice), I never believed Crockett or Tubs would drop the perps, but H5-0 v. 2 in a 21st century world just depicts the assault slightly too realistically.
That returns to my original point about demographics. TV and film have identified the elusive 18-34 ‘Jackass’\’Transformer’-watching male as caring more about action, violence, hot actors, and high production value. Considering we all agree that H5-0 has each in spades, why aren’t more younger viewers tuning in? At the same time, considering H5-0 attracted the most viewers, in the younger demographic, when it offered more intricate writing and better cast cohesion. Perhaps, H5-0 shouldn’t worry about the stereotypical 18-34 “male” demographic but focus on providing the strong writing and balanced cast interaction of episodes 1-3.
An, I marvel at how you writers are able to produce all those statistics so readily. Also, I could not agree more with your points. This show is still young and with all we have discussed I am banking that H5-0 with it’s hot cast and quality writing as a one-two punch, it will go far. Thank you An.
ps: bsgfan, you had better keep watching or I will sic Ivey on you!