‘Five-0’ ratings soared
after time change

When "Hawaii Five-0" premiered 36 years ago this month in 1968, its ratings were so lackluster that CBS nearly canceled the show in its first season. Part of the problem was its early prime-time slot -- moms worried the show was too violent for keiki, so neither parents nor kids tuned in.

On Christmas Day, when CBS moved the show two hours later, "Five-0's" ratings went from 60th to 15th, and it remained in the Top 25 for most of its 12-year run.

NBC's cop drama "Hawaii" premiered a week ago to acceptable ratings in its slot (7 p.m. here and 8 p.m. on the mainland). This show's depiction of violence and grittiness is distinctly 21st-century TV drama. The first episode had a charred skeleton, four severed heads in a car trunk and two actors in a bathtub sexual encounter.

Is the graphic nature a deterrent for some young viewers? Hawaii as a locale will always be an audience magnet. During "Five-0's" original run, CBS did surveys on why viewers watched. The answers were always to see Hawaii. Would moving "Hawaii" to a later time slot be more convenient for the 18-to-34 demographic and parents with kids?

Lest we forget, "Hawaii Five-0" became the longest running cop show in TV history.

The current "Hawaii" episode being filmed -- "No Man is an Island" -- features guest Zachary Quinto, who appeared in HBO's "Six Feet Under" with co-star Eric Balfour ...

ABC's "Lost" recently filmed a mock rock concert in the Blaisdell Concert Hall, to be used in a flashback featuring the band of Dominic Monaghan's character Charlie ...

John Stockwell and Lizzy Weiss' "Rocky Point" pilot for the WB began its first of 12 days of filming yesterday in Mokuleia. If the series is picked up, the production returns in November for series filming ...

Some "North Shore" staff have been told that after the production wraps its original 22 episodes in January, additional episodes may be filmed. Will the additional episodes be an extension of the current season or used for a possible second season? No one's saying. Fox officials in Los Angeles are not aware of any additional filming.

"NS" trivia: The mother of Shannen Doherty's character Alexandra is named Jill Hudson. The real Jill Hudson is manager of Fox Television publicity ...