‘Hawaii Five-0’ Showrunner Says Alex O’Loughlin Exit Does Not Mean Series Will End After Season 8

Hawaii Five-0 might be losing more than just two main characters this season. There is a possibility that Alex O’Loughlin is already planning to leave the CBS series by the end of Season 8.

So does this mean that the show will get canceled when Steve McGarrett is no longer a part of Five-0? Showrunner Peter Lenkov has confirmed that Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 will not be the final season despite Alex O’Loughlin’s possible departure.

The real McGarrett has made no secret about wanting to leave the series. Alex O’Loughlin has been vocal about wanting to do something less active since he feels he is too old to be doing intense action scenes. Needless to say, some believe that the star of The Back-Up Plan will say goodbye to the show after Hawaii Five-0 Season 8.

Naturally, fans were concerned that CBS will cancel the reboot once O’Loughlin leaves. After all, the series just lost Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim due to a salary dispute. In addition to that, Scott Caan has been appearing in fewer episodes in the previous season. It certainly looks like the end is near for the show.

Luckily, Peter Lenkov wants to assure the viewers that Five-0 will continue without Alex O’Loughlin. The showrunner stated that they “would keep going” if the fans continue “watching the show.” According to Lenkov, it is still possible for Hawaii Five-0 to go beyond Season 8 even without McGarrett because “there’s still life after that character.”

However, that doesn’t mean that Peter Lenkov will let Alex O’Loughlin leave so easily. The Hawaii Five-0 showrunner admitted that he hopes the actor will decide to stay with the series.

It certainly looks like O’Loughlin has changed his mind about saying goodbye to his Five-0 family. There are speculations that the actor may have taken a better deal from CBS to stay with the show. In addition to that, Peter Lenkov seems pleased with what will happen in Hawaii Five-0 Season 8.

Lenkov’s most recent Instagram post features McGarrett with Danno riding in a car with none other than Chris Vance. The hilarious clip appears to be taken from the second episode of the upcoming season.

Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 premieres on CBS on September 29.

[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]