'Hawaii Five-0' Season 8: Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park Not Returning; New Female Lead Being Cast
Fans will have to say goodbye to Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua, as actors Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park are no longer returning for the upcoming eighth season of "Hawaii Five-0."
According to Variety's sources, both Kim and Park have been seeking out pay raises to put them on par with Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan. However, they were not able to successfully negotiate for increases, leading to their exit. Apparently, CBS offered Kim and Park amounts which were 10 to 15 percent less than what O'Loughlin and Caan were receiving.
"Needless to say, Daniel has been an instrumental part of the success of 'Hawaii Five-0' over the past 7 seasons and it has personally been a privilege to know him," executive producer Peter Lenkov said. "Grace's presence gave 'Hawaii Five-0' a beauty and serenity to each episode. She was the consummate collaborator, helping build her character from day 1. They will always be ohana to us, we will miss them and we wish them both all the best."
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Fans are surely going to miss Kim and Park's characters on the show. It is worth noting that both actors have been with the rebooted series since the very beginning.
Park's absence, though, does not mean that "Hawaii Five-0" will not have a strong female character come season 8. It looks like CBS has already prepared for this scenario, as sources told Entertainment Weekly in June that the network was looking for an actress to play a new female series regular. According to the publication's Spoiler Room segment, the new character's name is Tani and she was a lifeguard when McGarrett and Danno attempt to recruit her. Prior to being a lifeguard, Tani trained at the police academy but was kicked out because of cheating and for assaulting a training officer.
It also appears that although Kim and Park will not show up for a single episode in the upcoming season, their departure will be mentioned in the premiere.
