‘Hawaii Five-0’ Cancelled? Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park Departure Shakes Up CBS Show

“Hawaii Five-0” is getting some backlash after two of its main stars, Daniel Dae Kim (Chin Ho Kelly) and Grace Park (Kono Kalakaua) decided not to sign on for season 8. The actors, who have been in the series since the first episode, did not renew their contract because of unequal pay.

Reports stated Kim and Park received 15 percent less than their co-stars Alex O’Loughlin (Steve McGarrett) and Scott Caan (Danny Williams). All four leads have appeared in the same amount of episodes and yet the Asian actors were given less payment. Fans have criticized the show for racism.

According to Inquisitr Kim and Park might not be the only cast members leaving. O’Loughlin has been hinting he wants to retire his role for years and it’s likely “Hawaii Five-0” might be cancelled sooner than expected.

Producers, however, have addressed the cast shakeup by adding a new female character for season 8. While casting has not been made official, this new role is up for a potential leading star status, as per TV Line.

Filming on “Hawaii Five-0” season 8 is expected to begin in late summer and the writers will reportedly wrap up and address Chin Ho and Kono’s departure in the first episode. Negotiations for these Asian actors might have been going on for quite some time and long before the season 7 finale.

In that finale episode, their characters were already given a way out of the series. Kono was supposed to travel and follow up on a child-trafficking syndicate while Chin Ho was going to take a new job in San Francisco.

“Hawaii Five-0” on CBS debuted in 2010. It was a reboot of the 1960s series that ran for nearly two decades in the network. The show was not a top-rater on the network but it had a decent following on its Friday night slot.