"Hawaii Five-0" Season 8 is facing rumored cancellation on CBS shortly after two of its cast members announced their exit from the show. There have also been talks that lead cast member, Alex O'Loughlin, is planning to leave the series after its eighth season. Is this the end of "H50?"
Alex O'Loughlin's future on 'H50'
Alex O'Loughlin has been pretty clear about his intentions to leave "Hawaii Five-0" after Season 8. In earlier interviews, the actor explained that he sustained countless injuries while performing stunts for his scenes on the show, thus, requiring him to undergo stem cell treatments for his spine.
O'Loughlin admitted that these injuries are keeping him from enjoying his life with his family when he is away from the cameras.
This made a lot of fans worry that O'Loughlin will be the next to leave "Hawaii Five-0" Season 8, especially after his co-stars, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, announced their exit from the CBS drama. Per Variety, Kim and Park decided to leave the show over a salary dispute, as the two actors were reportedly paid 10-15 percent lower than their co-stars, O'Loughlin and Scott Caan. Showrunner Peter M. Lenkov commented on the actors' exit from "H50" Season 8 and said that he was truly disheartened to see them go.
This strengthened speculations that the show is coming to an end, especially since two characters will no longer be in the show when its airs its new season.
Many fans believe that "H50" will still be able to go on for another season without Park and Kim; however, some fans insist that the show should end if O'Loughlin finalizes his decision to leave the show.
How does the future look for the show?
The future does seem quite bleak for "Hawaii Five-0" Season 8 despite Lenkov's optimism that the show can still go on with or without O'Loughlin.
In an earlier interview with TV Guide, Lenkov said that nothing has been set in stone yet and O'Loughlin may have simply expressed his desire to leave the show because he was tired from filming consecutive scenes on the series.
"If Alex elects not to come back, that's obviously going to be his choice. But we're moving forward as if the show's going to keep going," he said.
Lenkov also recently addressed rumors that O'Loughlin's character, Steve McGarrett, will die on "H50" Season 8, especially since the Season 7 finale saw him get diagnosed with radiation poisoning. There have been talks that this might be the show's way of letting O'Loughlin exit from the series, but Lenkov said that Steve will not die next season.
Do you think Alex O'Loughlin will be the next actor to leave "Hawaii Five-0" Season 8?
