Did Hawaii Five-O suffer during its first season? According to Jack Lord it did!
Hawaii Five-O had something special, and Jack Lord knew that before anyone else did. However, that doesn't mean the series didn't have its challenges in the beginning.
"We were shooting in Hawaii that first season," he told the L.A. Times-Washington Post Service in 1973. This was a big deal at the time and eventually set the standard for on-location filming in television production. "But we had no studio. We were the first series done out here, and everything was done by traveling back and forth, islands to the mainland; mainland to the islands. The series suffered that first year. Often, it wasn't very professional."
There were 24 episodes in the first season, so going back and forth must've been very tiresome for the entire cast and crew. Although their hard work eventually paid off. Hawaii Five-O became a hit, and, according to Lord, the success of the series contributed to a more professional environment. "We have been a professional series ever since the first season."
According to the newspaper article, the series was "frequently among the five most popular programs on TV," and made Jack Lord a sought-after actor. While Lord was already in demand, Hawaii Five-O significantly elevated his career. As the series continued, people wondered if, whenever the show ended, Jack would do another television series. He said he would never, but was eager to keep working on Hawaii Five-O.