‘Hawaii Five-0’ Season 8: Service Dog Cast For ‘Very Emotional’ Episode

A new character will be introduced in “Hawaii Five-0” Season 8, but it’s not a person.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Peter Lenkov revealed that a drug-sniffing service dog will join the Five-0 team in the upcoming episodes. The exec also shared that it was cast member Alex O’Loughlin’s idea to introduce a furry creature in the hit CBS series.

Read: Daniel Dae Kim says “self-worth” was the reason for his departure from “Hawaii Five-0”

“There is a story that’s coming up, it actually was Alex O’Loughlin’s idea. I wanted to do a story where the victim left in the wake of a tragedy was a dog who lost its owner. It’s very emotional, really great story. It’s a dog that’s a drug sniffing service dog that McGarrett ends up adopting. It’s a really emotional journey, but it was his idea to keep the dog, and I thought that was a great one,” he said.

Last month, TV Line reported the casting of two new characters in “Hawaii Five-0” Season 8. “Being Human” alum Meaghan Rath will play the role of Tani Rey, a hotel lifeguard who was kicked out of the police academy. Tani was a first-rate candidate, but some of her deeds did not sit well with her superiors.

Beulah Koale will play Junior Reigns, a former Navy SEAL who has just returned from serving his country. He will personally reach out to McGarrett (O’Loughlin) for a job. Meanwhile, Ian Anthony Dale, who plays the role of Kono’s (Grace Park) husband Adam, has been promoted to series regular status.

In related news, “Hawaii Five-0” experienced a few cast shakeups after Season 7 wrapped. Last month, Park and Daniel Dae Kim, who have been series regulars since the pilot, announced their departure from the series. Kim played the role of Chin Ho Kelly in the CBS series. On his Facebook account, Kim claimed that CBS did not grant their request for pay parity with their two co-stars.

However, Lenkov slammed Kim’s claims and said that CBS was very generous in giving him and Park hefty increases following their request. In the end, Kim said that he decided to leave “Hawaii Five-0” anyway for his “self-worth.”

“Hawaii Five-0” Season 8 will premiere on CBS on Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. EST.