Would you watch Hawaii 5-0 if you hadn't seen Moonlight?

[Moonlightsonata]

This is something I have been wondering about recently - part of the problem with being retired is sometimes having too much time on your hands so I ask myself questions like this. In terms of me, if I hadn't seen Alex in Moonlight first, I don't think I would have even tuned into Hawaii 5-0 now. I am old enough to remember when the original show was on, and aside from being familiar with the music, I am not sure I ever watched an episode. It was a very popular show but just wasn't something I tuned into. Not sure why - since our choices then were so much more limited - I know we didn't have cable if cable even existed and I don't recall if there were more than the three main networks then. I asked my hubby about this - he was living at home part of this time - and he said the family didn't watch. Maybe there was another popular show on opposite this. That I don't remember.

While I might have tuned into the show if I hadn't seen Moonlight but had seen Alex in "The Back-Up Plan" I probably wouldn't have seen the movie either. Hubby and I dated on and off for 10 years before we were married 36 years ago, and we definitely saw a lot of movies together, but over the past few years, we hardly have seen anything. "Avitar" of course with all the buzz surrounding it, but I doubt I have seen more than two or three other movies in the theater this year. "The Back-Up Plan" I saw with a fellow Moonlight fan - I don't think I could have gotten Hubby to the theater to see that.

I did see Alex in movies such as "The Invisible" and "August Rush" and didn't see those movies because of him, but I don't think he stood out that much for me in either of those movies. "Mary Bryant" was another story - he was wonderful in that - second only to Moonlight but I probably wouldn't have watched that either were it not for Moonlight. The same with "The Oyster Farmer" although I didn't enjoy that nearly as much as "Mary Bryant."

So I am curious about what others think? Someone posted in another thread recently that they really liked "Hawaii 5-0" but they didn't love it mainly because it was a procedural. And that is how I feel. In fact a lot of what that person said I agreed with. But we all have our own opinions and that is great.

[Lilly]

Interesting question, MLS. In some ways it's hard to pretend I'd never seen Alex in Moonlight, but I'll give it a shot.

I definitely would be watching Hawaii Five-0 if I had never seen Alex before. I might have been reluctant to give it a shot at first, but not because of the format. I don't dislike procedurals and I'm rather fond of lots of action. The thing that might have put me off was the fact that it's a remake -- or re-boot, as they like to call it -- of a very dated TV classic. However, once I had seen the promos for the show, I would have been hooked and would absolutely have tuned in for the first episode. I'm loving the show for all sorts of reasons and Alex is just part that.

In contrast, I never would have seen Back-up Plan if I hadn't known Alex's work. I'm not a fan of romantic comedies AT ALL. As it turned out, I really enjoyed the movie, but I wouldn't have given it a shot if I hadn't already been a fan.

It's really quite interesting to think about how following an actor leads us to certain viewing choices we might not have otherwise made.

[redwinter101]

Great show, great cast, and it's freakin' Hawaii for God's sake! (As a child growing up in dreary old England, it seemed like the most exotic place on earth.)

Yeah I'd be watching.

Red

[Moonlightsonata]

Thanks for responses so far.

One thing I realized I should have mentioned was that TIVO and DVRs have made it a lot easier to sample new shows. So if I hadn't seen Alex on Moonlight, I probably would have watched "Castle" on live TV but I might have been inclined to set up my DVR for Hawaii 5-0 simply because the buzz was good.

[r1015bill]

If I didn't know who Alex was, I kind of doubt that I would have sought out H50. I would have thought that it would have been like the old H50 which I don't remember as being that interesting.

I might have watched it randomly and I think I would have definitely considered watching again because the cast is engaging and there is humor. Certainly not as hooked as ML which hooked me with its alternate vampire universe, the engaging cast and background love story.

[francis]

Well, I like procedurals, and Moonlight was one too, even when the case of the week was not my focus from the beginning. H5O has a lot of what made Moonlight work for me, great characters and humor, a bit of heart and mystery. The cases aren't half as interesting as the Moonlight ones, for me, and there is no romance, yet.

I probably wouldn't have watched H5O because I wouldn't have been as savvy as I am now with finding things on the internet and finding ways to watch a show that hasn't even aired in Germany. I wouldn't have watched it because I wouldn't have known about it in the first place. That all came to me from finding a snippet of interview with a certain vampire on youtube. The rest is history.

But IF I watched TV as much as I did before the internet came around, then I probably would watch H5O as soon as it comes to Germany. I would have liked the main cast just as I do now, but probably wouldn't have looked them up and snarked the promotion pics and all that, if it wasn't for the internet.
I would know only the dubbed version, which would be a shame, too. Alex' voice...

[PNWgal]

Would I have watched H5-0 if I hadn't discovered Alex? Absolutely.

I love police procedurals. I watch almost every single one of them. I like some better than others, but I give all of them a shot. The only ones I don't watch are the NCIS shows.

It's got great scenery and it's an entertaining way to spend an hour.

[wpgrace]

Oh Lord YES!

My daddy used to LOVE H50... total McG fan. I didn't watch much, but I absorbed by osmosis that it was cool. So I woulda had name recognition and a warm fuzzy for it in the first place... like Peter Lenkov himself!

But those promos, with those two handsome men man-bitching???
They had me at "You don't like the beach?" "I don't like the beach." "Who doesn't like the beach??"

So if I had not found Alex thru ML, I'd be finding him now.

[Fleur de Lisa]

In all honesty, nope.

Don't care for procedurals and if it weren't for Alex in this, I wouldn't be watching it now. (I don't know if you were referencing my posts re: H-50, mls, but that is exactly how I feel about the show. I like it, it's an entertaining hour, but doesn't define itself as spectacular television, in my opinion. Could be my bias against procedurals, they tend to bore me, but H5-0 saves me from zoning out too much with the sharp, witty dialogue.)

It's funny, because I never defined ML as a procedural show---but looking back on it, it did have the elements of one. To me, it was plain and simple romance with a good dose of angst thrown in!

I might have tuned in once to catch the Hawaiian scenery but I really doubt that I would have continued to watch it weekly. Who knows? If I hadn't ever seen or heard of Alex, I may have fallen in love with his beauty on H5-0, but not like I fell in love with the way he created and inhabited Mick in ML. For me, it was an equal balance of talent and beauty that completely pulled me in to Moonlight.

I know for sure that I never would have stepped into the theatre to see The Back Up Plan had it not been for him.

I definitely understand why those of you who are fans of procedurals would watch this show even if you hadn't known of Alex, but for me, it would have been just another television show, albeit one set in paradise.

But, isn't that the way it goes? You find an actor that you enjoy watching and you stick with their projects. Or you happen upon a show that you fall for, and then fall even more for the actors in it. We just happened to be lucky enough to get in on the ground floor of Alex's career and have been able to watch his ascent. That's the coolest thing of all, for me.

[darkstarrising]

Interesting question. Short answer is yes, at the very least, I would have given it a look for reasons others have cited (good promos, it's a procedural, curiosity about how it compared with the original). If I didn't like it, I wouldn't be back....Case in point, I like Jason Ritter, was anxiously looking forward to 'The Event', but was sorely disappointed / confused and haven't been back after the first episode.

Why did I tune into Moonlight three years ago? God knows it got limited promotion, and I had never heard of any of the four principal actors, so what was the hook? Vampires, pure and simple. What I was hoping for was an interesting take on a genre that I've loved for years. What I got was that and a lot more, part of which was finding Alex O'Loughlin.

I like the man's work, I think he's talented (having seen most of his other work), and hope that at some point he gets recognized for what he can do. Do I appreciate that he's an incredibly handsome man? Yes, sometimes shamelessly, but he's a lot more than that. All of that just sweetened the deal for giving H50 a try.....I haven't been disappointed in the least, and as a bonus, I've come to find three other talented actors I'd never seen before......

And fleur, do you still love me even if I do like procedurals?

[Fleur de Lisa]

dsr~~Oh honey, I love you because of, despite and who the hell cares if you did or didn't, like procedurals!!! My best friend in the universe is a procedural gal---her and I fall in line in just about everything else in our lives except for that. And truth be told, she said that she wouldn't stick with H5-0 if it weren't for Alex.

I was just being honest---and in NO way shape or form am I coming down on people who like procedurals or love H5-0. Just like I wouldn't want anyone to come down on moi for not. There are lots of things I like to watch that others probably hate, and that's cool. That doesn't upset me in the least. I'm comfortable with who I am and what I enjoy and I assume every other person here is, too. We're all different, thank God, and bring different things to the table.

However, the main unifier is the one reason we all tune into H5-0 and that's because of Alex. Like it, love it, think it's just okay, love procedurals, don't....doesn't matter. At the minimum, we watch and enjoy because of him.

[darkstarrising]

dsr~~Oh honey, I love you because of, despite and who the hell cares if you did or didn't, like procedurals!!! My best friend in the universe is a procedural gal---her and I fall in line in just about everything else in our lives except for that. And truth be told, she said that she wouldn't stick with H5-0 if it weren't for Alex.

I was just being honest---and in NO way shape or form am I coming down on people who like procedurals or love H5-0. Just like I wouldn't want anyone to come down on moi for not. There are lots of things I like to watch that others probably hate, and that's cool. That doesn't upset me in the least. I'm comfortable with who I am and what I enjoy and I assume every other person here is, too. We're all different, thank God, and bring different things to the table.

However, the main unifier is the one reason we all tune into H5-0 and that's because of Alex. Like it, love it, think it's just okay, love procedurals, don't....doesn't matter. At the minimum, we watch and enjoy because of him.

Never come down on you, sweetie, or any one else.... That's what makes this all so fun.....we're all different, we can honestly discuss things and appreciate other points of view. And yes, the common denominator that brings us all together is a charming, talented Aussie actor that most of us never heard of until three years ago.

[oldspa]

I always try to give new shows at least one chance so I would have looked at H50 but I'm not sure that Alex's limited presence would have been enough by itself to bring me back. The whole cast together is good enough to keep my interest though. I can't say that I do or don't like procedurals - it all depends on everything else besides the story (mostly the cast).

Right now, I'm very happy to watch H50 every week and will be even happier if by some miracle Terriers survives. My daughter can't understand how I can love both Alex O'Loughlin and Donal Logue at the same time.

/p

[jen]

Honestly, because of my crazy work schedule, probably not.

Strike the 'probably' Don't have a DVR so watching for me means 'set the alarm or watch it online' . Last week, I woke up in time for it but closed my eyes for a minute and when I opened them, the ep was over. Checked out what I missed at the CBS website a few days later. Was a child when the original H50 was on and enjoyed it. This version is an interesting mixture of some things that I like an others that I don't care for.

[allegrita]

I definitely would have watched it. I didn't like the original series at all, but I liked Magnum, P.I. and love Hawaii. The promos were fabulous and I'm a big fan of Daniel Dae Kim from Lost. I don't love the CSI shows, but I liked the original Law and Order, and I like cop and detective shows. So yeah, I would be watching. I probably wouldn't have watched The Back-Up Plan in the theater, but I like Jennifer Lopez and I probably would have rented the movie when it came out on DVD. And I'm pretty sure I'd have liked Alex a lot after seeing TBUP. But I don't think either show would have captured my heart and imagination the way Moonlight did. That kind of magic doesn't happen often. Once in a lifetime, I'd say.