'Hawaii Five-0' Season 5 Air Date, Latest News: Michael Imperioli, Barkhad Abdi Heading to the Show
A "Captain Phillips" star and a "Sopranos" alum are heading to "Hawaii Five-0."
According to Entertainment Weekly, Barkhad Abdi ("Captain Phillips") has landed a guest role on the show. The Oscar-nominated actor will play Roko Contee, a Congolese warlord who, at one time, was the most wanted man in the world. Though the character was allegedly killed during a 2011 bombing by the Zaire Air Force, the Five-0 team discovers that the rumors of his death are false, and that Roko has been working as a taxi driver hiding in plain sight.
"He plays basically Kony, that African warlord who was in the news a few years ago," said executive producer Peter Lenkov. "He plays a character like that hiding in an island here, and somebody discovers that he's here. And our guys end up confronting him. It's a big, big episode. We were so lucky to get him, and we wrote it with him in mind. We were able to get him to the island and that was a big coup for us."
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Meanwhile, Michael Imperioli (Sopranos) will be playing Odell Martin, described as a reformed criminal with a passion for surfing. Odell came to Oahu 10 years ago and is now running a barbershop on the island. His place employs ex-cons, but the business is legitimate and so is Odell. However, he does "keep his ear to the ground and is on friendly terms with many powerful underground figures." He has great intel on the streets, something that could be very useful to the Five-0 team.
"He is a sort of fun, ex-New York transplant who's become a surfer/ confidential informant," said Lenkov.
Imperioli will make his first appearance on the 14th episode of the season, while Abdi is slated to appear on the 15th episode.
"Hawaii Five-0'"Season 5 returns on Friday, Jan. 2 at 9 p.m. on CBS.
