"Hawaii Five-O" got its start as a 1968 series starring Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett, first airing on CBS and running for 12 seasons before being rebooted in 2010. The police procedural series focuses on McGarrett and his Five-O task force in Hawaii as they take on a series of often difficult cases from terrorists to kidnappers. Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan have won over fans for the last seven seasons as the popular characters McGarrett and Danny "Danno," respectively.

After seven seasons, "Hawaii Five-O" lost two original cast members when Grace Park (Kono) and Daniel Dae Kim (Chin Ho Kelly) chose to leave the show. Along with O'Loughlin and Caan, series regulars Chi McBride (Lou Grover) and Jorge Garcia (Jerry Ortega) are set to return.

New series regulars set for season 8

Two new faces will be appearing in the upcoming season: Meaghan Rath and Beulah Koale. Rath joins as Tani Rey, a former student at the police academy that was kicked out and is working as a lifeguard when McGarrett recruits her into the Five-O team. Koale joins as Junior Reigns, a former Navy Seal that will turn to McGarrett for a job.

Ian Anthony Dale has recurred for several seasons as Kono's husband, Adam, and has recently been promoted to a series regular. In addition, other familiar faces have joined as series regulars: Taylor Wiley, Kimee Balmilero, and Dennis Chun. Wiley and Chun first appeared in season 1 as Kamekona and Sargent Duke Lukela. Kamekona (Wiley) has been a long time confidant to McGarrett and Danny, as well as providing a source of comic relief with his several business plans. Lukela (Chun) works for the local police but often aids the Five-O team by notifying them about crime scenes and helping them solve cases. Balmilero is a recent addition to the cast, having first appeared last season before the departure of Masi Oka (who plays medical examiner Max Bergman).

Her character Dr. Noelani Cunha quickly found a place with the team as the person they call for help, which often includes her needing to stitch someone up. Their upped status has been confirmed by vice president of CBS Entertainment Communications, Beth Haiken.

Another new member will join the Five-O team when a drug-sniffing service dog is introduced after recently losing its owner in a tragedy. McGarrett will end up adopting the dog, and it'll be featured working with the team in several episodes. Executive Producer Peter Lenkov calls the upcoming storyline an emotional journey and shares that Alex O'Loughlin is the one responsible for the idea of McGarrett choosing to keep the dog.

Joey Lawrence joins as a new bad guy

A recent sneak peek shared by Peter Lenkov shows the return of fan favorite Secret Agent Harry Langford (Chris Vance). Lenkov includes with the clip a simple tease: #h50 802. The bad guy of Season 8 is the hacker brother of Ian Wright (Nick Jonas), a sociopathic hacker killed in Season 4 and he is described as being just as brilliant and cold-blooded. The hacker is played by Joey Lawrence (whose brother Andrew Lawrence recurs on the show). The Season 8 premiere is called "A'ole e 'olelo mai ana ke ahi ua ana ia" which means "Fire will Never Say that it has had Enough." In the episode, McGarrett and Danny turn to Tani Rey (Rath) when hacker Aaron Wright (Lawrence) sets free an arsonist from prison.

"Hawaii Five-O" returns to CBS on September 29, following the premiere of "MacGyver."