HAWAII FIVE-0 Begins Production on Season 7

HAWAII FIVE-0 kicked off production on season seven in Honolulu today with a traditional Hawaiian blessing in honor of its host Hawaiian culture. Series stars Alex O'Loughlin, Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, Chi McBride, Jorge Garcia, Sean Garnett, Teilor Grubbs, Dennis Chun, as well as the producers and the entire HAWAII FIVE-0 crew, participated. Kahu (Officiant) Kordell Kekoa presided over the ceremony, which included traditional royal maile leis, Oli Aloha (welcoming chant), and Pule Ho'oku'u (closing prayer). In honor of the show's seventh season, the ceremony centered around the Hawaiian word 'ehiku, which translates to "seven," and focused on success being rooted in work done with love.

The seventh season of HAWAII FIVE-0 premieres Friday, Sept. 23 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

HAWAII FIVE-0 is a contemporary take on the classic series about an elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the islands' sun-drenched beaches. Detective Steve McGarrett, a decorated Naval officer turned cop, returned to Oahu to investigate his father's murder and stayed after Hawaii's former governor persuaded him to head up the new team: his rules, no red tape and full blanket authority to hunt down the biggest "game" in town. Joining McGarrett are Detective Danny "Danno" Williams, a relocated ex-New Jersey cop - a working man in paradise who prefers skyscrapers to the coastline but who's committed to keeping the islands safe for his young daughter; Chin Ho Kelly, an ex-Honolulu police detective and former protégé of McGarrett's father, who was wrongly accused of corruption; Dr. Max Bergman, the quirky coroner; Chin's cousin, Kono Kalakaua, a beautiful and fearless native; and Captain Lou Grover, who formerly headed Hawaii's SWAT unit. Joining them is Jerry Ortega, a former classmate of Chin's and the islands' local conspiracy theorist. The state's brash FIVE-0 unit, who may spar and jest among themselves, remain determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state.