CBS's long-running police procedural television series, "Hawaii Five-O," has now officially lost two of its veteran stars following a dispute over their salaries. The show's Asian stars Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim have now revealed that they are quitting the show after conflicts with the network regarding how much they should be paid.
Unfair wages
The pair, who have been part of the series since it first debuted on CBS back in September of 2010, has been fighting to get a compensation that is equal to their Caucasian co-stars Scott Caan and Alex O'Loughlin.
The network had reportedly lowered their pay to 15 percent of what their white co-stars were getting. This apparently did not sit well with both actors, which eventually led them to quit the project altogether.
A bid farewell
CBS recently published a statement to bid the Daniel and Grace farewell and to wish them well in their future endeavors. A spokesperson for the network also mentioned that they were very much appreciative of what both actors have brought to the table and how each of them has contributed to the growth of the series over its 168 episodes. The show's executive producer, Peter Lenkov, also recently posted a farewell message for the pair and mentioned that they were both very instrumental in making the show what it is today.
While most of the people attached to the production of the show have expressed their tributes to the pair, most fans have expressed their disappointment regarding their exit. Some fans have outright expressed their disgust over CBS's discrimination of the actors, while some have praised the actors for standing up for equal right for Asian actors and People of Color (POC) actors in general.
Replacement character
At the end of the last season of "Hawaii Five-O," Graces' character Kono Kalakaua left the task force to investigate a child sex trafficking ring, while Daniel's character Chin Ho Kelly was offered a chance to head a unit in San Francisco. According to reports, both characters will be referenced in the first episode of the new season and a story will be featured to explain their permanent departure.
It is not yet clear of either of the actors would be appearing in the new episodes to finish their stories. Reports have also revealed that CBS is planning to introduce a brand new female character named Tani, who will apparently have an "interesting history."
"Hawaii Five-O" was created as a reboot of the original series which aired from 1968 to 1980. The show premiered back in 2010 and has since released seven seasons. The series was renewed for an eighth season back in March, with the new episodes scheduled to premiere on Sept. 29.
