It’s a big week — and month — for CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0.”
As the Island-based “Five-0” winds up its sophomore season May 14, a two-part crossover special with “NCIS: Los Angeles” begins Monday (April 30), with two stars from the L.A.-based procedural guest-starring in Hawaii. Then on Tuesday (May 1), two principals from “Five-0” appear in the continuing story arc set in Los Angeles.
The logical question: Is a tidal wave of enthusiastic interest in the offing?
On May 7, Alex O’Loughlin (Steve McGarrett) should return after his rehab from prescription meds due to a shoulder injury ... leading to the grand finale on May 14, when his arch rival, Mark Dacascos (Wo Fat) also reappears, and one series regular meeting his/her demise.
Welcome to the May sweeps of the Nielsen TV ratings. The crossover might be just what the doctor ordered for "Five-0," which could use a booster shot more than "NCIS."
The crossover should give “Five-0” a thrust in ratings and perhaps new appeal and respect. L.A. Special Agents LL Cool J (Sam Hanna) and Chris O’Donnell (G. Callen) are in the Islands in “Pa Make Loa,” Hawaiian for “Touch of Death,” as part of a collaborative special force (also featuring Scott Caan as Danny Williams and Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kelly) to pursue a suspect on the verge of releasing a deadly virus that threatens the population.
Remember, O’Loughlin was on medical leave when these episodes were shot, so if he appears on the show at all, it might have been a specially-taped clip or a flashback. He’s not on the “NCIS” follow-up Tuesday, which is L.A.-based, completing the search for the culprit that’s up to no good.
Both segments are authored by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, with R. Scott Gemill contributing to the L.A. show, but different directors were at the helms: Bryan Spicer for the Hawaii show, Tony Wharmby for the L.A. conclusion.
It will be interesting to see how the crossovers play out. There can’t be the usual bromance between McGarrett and Danno, but Sam and Callan do a bit of this kind of give-and-take — surely, this element travels to Hawaii. When Danno and Chin Ho venture to the City of Angels, they can’t realistically engage in the kind of McG-Danno friction.
Will the "feel" be more "NCIS" than "Five-0"? Or complementary flavors, depending on the segments? Do viewers like crossovers, or will they watch the one show they're already partial to?
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
With “NCIS: L.A.” prevailing as the No. 2 procedural (the original, “NCIS” starring Mark Harmon (agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his crew, is consistently No. 1 with as many as 22.7 million viewers a week), some audience crossover is guaranteed, hopefully creating a tsunami of viewers for both the Monday and Tuesday shows.
Danno and Chin Ho engaging in crime-solving, not just with Sam and Callen but with the other “NCIS” team members Daniela Ruah (agent Kensi Blye) and Eric Christian Olsen (LAPD detective Marty Deeks), should create some fireworks and trigger high energy.
And with Sam and Callan in the Island segment, there can’t be much residue of usual recurring story ticks (think Shelburne) that simply diluted and numbed interest in “Five-0” this season.
So what do you expect on the Richter scale?
A co-star in this two-parter surely will be the makeup team: Great job in visually capturing the nastiness of a yucky virus.
So: Here’s a toast for a grand finish.
Lots to watch, soak in, observe, cheer and comment on, in the next few days and weeks.

Scott Caan, the Emmy-nominated Danny “Danno” Williams on CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0,” will spend his summer vacation co-starring in “No Way Around But Through,” a play he wrote, in its world premiere June 3 at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, Calif.
Falcon and The Mineral Theater Company are presenting the romantic comedy, directed by Val Lauren, featuring Caan (“Five-0,” “Entourage”) as Jacob, who discovers his girlfriend Holly (Robyn Cohen, “Gravity,” “The Life Aquatic”) might be pregnant. So he draws his pal Frank (director Lauren, “24,” “Make It or Break”) into his realm of chaos.
The cast also includes Lainie Kazan (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” “Desperate Housewives”) as Lulu, Jacob’s mother, and (Bre Blair, “Make It or Break,” “NCIS”) as Holly’s friend Rachel.
Previews will be June 1 and 2, with the premiere at 7 p.m. June 3. Performances will be at 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 7 p.m. Sundays through July 8.
With "Five-0" already wrapping up season two filming in Hawaii, Caan is the first to unveil his off-season summer vacation plans.

With CBS offering reruns Monday (April 23) evening, “Hawaii Five-0” took a hit, preliminary overnight ratings indicate. This, amid the tension and emotions of NBC’s “The Voice” and ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” — the powerhouses of Reality Mondays.
ABC, which normally shows “Castle” at 9 p.m. (10 p.m. Mainland), had a “20/20 DWTS” special, which attracted 10.94 million viewers and a 2.1 adults rating in the coveted 18 to 49 demographics.
NBC’s “Smash,” still a wavering newbie in the time slot, had a new episode that boosted its visibility and drawing power. The show, about the challenges of mounting a Broadway musical, still is juggling the fate of guest star Uma Thurman, adding chemistry and complications to the ongoing battle for the Marilyn Monroe lead in a Broadway show, with breakups and makeups in the ranks. The episode included a spectacular “dream sequence” spectacle involving the entire cast in flower-bright costumes shimmying and shaking in the Bollywood tradition. The payoff ? A respectable 2.1 adults demo and 6.12 million viewers, up 11 percent from last Monday, compared to “Five-0’s” 7.61 million viewers and a 1.6 adults demo.
Face it: Repeats are like leftovers; not everyone shows up for a nibble. So reruns — plus the off-camera health-related temporary departure of Alex O’Loughlin’s Steve McGarrett — have posed a problem for the Hawaii-based procedural.
In fact, with the May sweeps rating period coming up next month, it’s becoming an uphill battle for our local show as it approaches its second-season finale.
O’Loughlin will not be in the highly-anticipated cross-over shows with “NCIS: Los Angeles” coming up next week. On Monday, “NCIS’” Sam (LL Cool L) and Callen (Chris O’Donnell) guest-star on a new “Five-0,” with Danno (Scott Caan) and Chin (Daniel Dae Kim) appearing in “NCIS” on Tuesday. Kim was pulled to action for the L.A. crossover, since O’Loughlin was on medical leave.
Maybe the appeal and karma of "NCIS" will bolster "Five-0's" sagging performance; after all, "NCIS: LA" is the No. 2 procedural, bested only by the original "NCIS," which is consistently the No.1 TV drama. "Five-0" surely can use the lift and perhaps the spill-over audience.
As for the singing and dancing Monday shows, “The Voice” drew 3.7 adults demo, same as last Monday, and “DWTS” was up 3 percent, with 3.0 adults demo.

In Monday’s (April 9) overnight ratings, “Hawaii Five-0” led its 9 p.m. (10 on the mainland) hour with 10.9 million viewers and 2.6 adults in the coveted 18 to 49 demographics.
Without Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin), mind you, in an episode entitled “Ha’alele,” “abandoned” in Hawaiian. This was the 20th installment for "Five-0."
The untold reasons why McG is absent — in reality, O’Loughlin has been on a stress-busting, mind-cleaning rehab session, said to be linked to meds and weariness due to a shoulder injury — would make a better show than the one focusing on Max (Masi Oka) the coroner, whose backstory is linked to a baddie dubbed the Trashman, a tag that might be more suitable for a “Spider-man” or “Batman” flick than a crime-in-paradise show.
The catalyst is a dead young woman, found in the pineapple fields; she's the latest victim in a supposed series of serial killings — a tale that involves scenics (all dark, gloomy) of a familiar jailhouse and a famous church, and the (yawn) secondary crime, the supposedly stolen Shrimp Truck which leaves Kamekona (Taylor Wily) cooking outdoors.
Auwe.
OK, McG does have a presence — first, via a note written to Danno (Scott Caan), explaining his no-show because he’s in pursuit of the dude in that Shelburne fiasco, and no more need to be said about this, and second, allegedly in Japan, obviously filmed as a convenience device rather than a plot necessity.
“Five-0” gave CBS the hour because of an ABC rerun of “Scandal,” and NBC’s steady-but-low-rated “Smash,” still struggling to open that Broadway musical, hopefully before the season ends.
Oh, season finale, you ask? “Five-0” wraps up its second year on May 14, when the team launches a manhunt when one of its own is killed in the line of duty. Who? Why? How? A cliffhanger, for sure, but does someone have to die in the finale?
Maybe it’ll be Lori Weston (Lauren German), who hasn’t been particularly effective in her appearances all seasons, and originally intended to be a love interest for McG. Chemistry was not her middle name.
But worry not: she’s already got another role on another network. German will portray Shay, described in media reports as a “dry and humorless official,” in a firefighting pilot, “Chicago Fire,” starring Jesse Spencer as a newly single firefighter named Matthew Casey, from the creator of the “Law & Order” franchise, Dick Wolf.

According to TV Guide’s William Keck, Alex O’Loughlin — who is Steve McGarrett on CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” — will miss just one episode as he recuperates from his prescription pain meds dependency linked to an earlier shoulder injury.
With McG leaving the cameras in March to enter rehab, there was an obvious gap in filming and storytelling procedures, forcing producers and writers to be inventive.
Producer Peter Lenkov tells TV Guide that the recuping actor appears briefly in the April 9 show, where McG suspects Terry O’Quinn (Joe) has lied to him about being Shelburne, in that ongoing story arc. “He ends up leaving a ‘Dear Danno’ letter before taking off to find the real Shelburne,” Lenkov explains.
Not exactly high drama, but a convenient way to deal with O’Loughlin’s absence while in rehab.
McG/O’Loughlin will still be away on April 30, which will be the next original episode, the crossover one when “NCIS: Los Angeles” actors Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J guest-star.
Note: Danno (Scott Caan) and Chin (Daniel Dae Kim) have filmed the crossover swap segment in L.A., the latter filling in for O'Loughlin.
McG shows up again on May 7, putting Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos) in jail, and again in the May 14 season finale, where (spoiler alert) a familiar face dies (which is beginning to sound like a tradition) and O’Quinn, Tom Sizemore and William Baldwin return.
Surely, McG’s presence — during the height of the May sweeps — will boost the show’s Nielsen ratings.