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Season guide

Hawaii Five-O: Season 1

25 episodes Premiered Sep 19, 1968 Updated Jul 20, 2026

The first season of Hawaii Five‑O premiered on September 20, 1968 and concluded on March 19, 1969. Produced by CBS Productions under the guidance of creator Leonard Freeman, the season aired on the CBS network as an American police‑procedural drama set against the backdrop of the Hawaiian Islands. The series follows a special state police task force led by Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett, portrayed by Jack Lord,

Season overview

The first season of Hawaii Five‑O premiered on September 20, 1968 and concluded on March 19, 1969. Produced by CBS Productions under the guidance of creator Leonard Freeman, the season aired on the CBS network as an American police‑procedural drama set against the backdrop of the Hawaiian Islands. The series follows a special state police task force led by Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett, portrayed by Jack Lord, as they investigate crimes throughout the islands. The inaugural season established the show’s signature blend of action, adventure, and drama, and introduced the iconic “Book ’Em, Danno!” catch‑phrase that would become associated with the series. After its original broadcast run, the entire first season was made available on Region 1 DVD, with the home‑video release issued on March 6, 2007. The program continued beyond its first year, ultimately running for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980 and remaining in syndication.

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Episodes

S1·E1

Cocoon (1)

Sep 20, 1968 · 60 min

Red Chinese agent Wo Fat uses a sensory deprivation chamber to procure information from U.S. agents. Steve McGarrett, head of Hawaii Five-O, investigates the death of a close frien

S1·E2

Cocoon (2)

Sep 20, 1968 · 60 min

McGarrett is caught and cocooned, and must escape this torture and shut down Wo Fat's operation.

S1·E3

Full Fathom Five

Sep 26, 1968 · 60 min

Victor Reese and his wife Nora are conning rich widows out of their savings, and then poisoning them and dumping them in the ocean. McGarrett and company hatch a plan to use a fema

S1·E4

Strangers In Our Own Land

Oct 3, 1968 · 60 min

Five-O probes into the death of an official who was instrumental in the development of the islands, and discovers a tangled web of lies and deception.

S1·E5

Tiger By The Tail

Oct 10, 1968 · 60 min

A young singer, Bobby George, plans his own kidnapping as a stunt, but when his father offers $500,000 for his release, his co-conspirators decide to double-cross him and take the

S1·E6

Samurai

Oct 17, 1968 · 60 min

McGarrett and the gang must simultaneously protect a gangster from Japanese assassins and also try to convict him for his underworld activities.

S1·E7

... And They Painted Daisies On His Coffin

Nov 7, 1968 · 60 min

Danny Williams is accused of shooting an apparently unarmed young boy. Meanwhile, in his investigation, McGarrett comes up against Big Chicken, a nasty dope dealer.

S1·E8

Twenty-Four Karat Kill

Nov 14, 1968 · 60 min

A woman buys fish from a monger, and is followed home and murdered. McGarrett and the team must discover who killed her and stop smugglers from completing their operation.

S1·E9

The Ways Of Love

Nov 21, 1968 · 60 min

After a girl dies during a high speed chase, a trail of clues leads McGarrett to a Los Angeles prison, where he must act the part of convict Steve Crowley to gain the trust of his

S1·E10

No Blue Skies

Dec 5, 1968 · 60 min

When a singer, Joey Rand, finds that his career doesn't pay well enough, he turns to cat burglary. However he doesn't reckon on Hawaii Five-O.

S1·E11

By the Numbers

Dec 12, 1968 · 60 min

A winning lottery ticket drags an army private into a the murky world of mob politics and vice.

S1·E12

Yesterday Died And Tomorrow Won't Be Born

Dec 19, 1968 · 60 min

When McGarrett is shot and badly wounded on a beachside jog, Danno and the team must work feverishly to find the culprit and prevent him from committing any more murders.

S1·E13

Deathwatch

Dec 25, 1968 · 60 min

McGarrett must protect a protect a mob underboss so he is able to testify against his superior, Joe Matsukino. However, Matsukino has many tricks up his sleeve to silence his forme

S1·E14

Pray Love Remember, Pray Love Remember

Jan 1, 1969 · 60 min

When a young female student is found murdered on campus, suspicions fall on her boyfriend but McGarrett senses that something is not right.

S1·E15

King Of The Hill

Jan 8, 1969 · 60 min

Danno is taken hostage by a Vietnam veteran who is suffering delusional flashbacks and sees everyone as forces sent to kill him.

S1·E16

Up Tight

Jan 15, 1969 · 60 min

Young Eadie Hastings cannot be saved by Danno from jumping of a cliff, and Five-O think that she was high on speed. They track her source to a crank teacher, Professor David Stone,

S1·E17

Face Of The Dragon

Jan 22, 1969 · 60 min

A man is found dead after having been robbed by a motorcyclist with a gun, and McGarrett is shocked to discover that the man was suffering from bubonic plague. The islands are quar

S1·E18

The Box

Jan 29, 1969 · 60 min

Big Chicken returns in a tense prison hostage drama when McGarrett has to give himself over to the criminals as a bargaining chip and use psychology to take control of the situatio

S1·E19

One For The Money

Feb 5, 1969 · 60 min

When a girl is found murdered and numbered 'one', McGarrett suspects a serial killer. However the killer seems to be very selective in targeting members of a particular company,

S1·E20

Along Came Joey

Feb 12, 1969 · 60 min

When the boxing son of a policeman, Phil Kalama, is killed, he starts a personal vendetta, and McGarrett must both solve the crime and stop Kalama from committing another murder.

S1·E21

Once Upon A Time (1)

Feb 19, 1969 · 60 min

When the son of McGarrett's sister falls ill with cancer and she becomes involved in ‘naturology', her husband calls in Steve to investigate and persuade her to stop paying for t

S1·E22

Once Upon A Time (2)

Feb 26, 1969 · 60 min

McGarrett must use all legal means possible to win the court case against Dr. C.L. Fremont, stopping her fake treatments and saving his sister from more anguish and pain.

S1·E23

Not That Much Different

Mar 5, 1969 · 60 min

When a leader of a student peace movement is killed, McGarrett has to investigate the murder against a wall of silence and a distrust of the police by the activists.

S1·E24

Six Kilos

Mar 12, 1969 · 60 min

Chin Ho and Dan Williams are tracking a safecracker but he pulls a gun and Danno ends up shooting him. McGarrett takes his identity of Harry Brown and must infiltrate a sophisticat

S1·E25

The Big Kahuna

Mar 19, 1969 · 60 min

Sam Kalakua, a distant cousin of Kono, is being frightened into an early grave by an fake apparition of a Hawaiian god created by his nephew, who wants to sell the estate to a land