On September 26, 1968, Hawaii Five-O premiered on CBS. The show's exotic locale and quality writing and acting made it a fixture in the network's line-up for the next 12 years. Today the detective series continues to be very popular in syndication.

The show's history is covered first, focusing on its development and its stars. Complete casts and credits for all regulars are provided for each season; the episode guide gives the title, original air date, director, producer, guest stars a detailed synopsis of each show, and information on Honolulu residents who appeared in it.