Tonight's premiere of "Hawaii 5-0" is one of the most heavily promoted and anticipated television events of the new television season, but "5-0" star Taryn Manning isn't expecting everyone to be thrilled about it.
She expects some stubborn fans of the iconic original, which ran on CBS from 1968 to 1980, to resist the slick reboot.
"There's definitely die-hard fans waiting to pounce," Manning tells PopcornBiz at the premiere of her new movie "Heaven's Rain."
"I don't know, people want to hate things. Especially remakes."
"If Jack Lord could see 'Hawaii 5-0' he'd probably turn in his grave," says Manning. "We're a whole other generation, a whole other decade. It's like, things are modernized and cool and smart now."
And there are some big changes besides a frequently shirtless stud Alex O'Loughlin playing Jack Lord's Detective Steve McGarrett role. For example, there is a female on the formerly all-male crime force (Grace Park).
In deference to the original fans, Manning points outs that the show's producers "didn't change the opening song at all." Little things.
Manning's character is new to the "5-0" franchise as well, playing McGarrett's formerly estranged sister who reappears on the scene following a family crisis.
On a marketing note, she's been pleased to see that you can't really go anywhere without seeing a billboard or advertisement for the show.
"It's looking really good, CBS has spent a boatload of money on marketing," she says. "It's going to fly out of the box huge."
"It's just a matter of sustaining interest."
And a big part of that will be winning all of the old fans onto the new show. The stars have their work cut out for them.