Rise to Fame
His first American show, Moonlight, was the highest-rated show in its Friday night slot on CBS. CBS cancelled it anyway after one season. The fanbase responded by organizing blood drives in protest, which didn't work. O'Loughlin had built his name in Australia on The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant, earned AFI and Logie nominations, then crossed over to play a vampire detective for a network that didn't want to keep him. Hawaii Five-0 worked out differently: ten seasons, and a decade as one of CBS's most reliable draws.
In the Spotlight
Hawaii Five-0 wrapped in 2020, and O'Loughlin went quiet. No social media, minimal public appearances, years of silence while offers reportedly piled up. He's said he turned down over a dozen projects looking for prestige limited series work rather than another decade of procedural TV. In December 2024, he signed with Independent Artist Group, which is either the start of a return or very organized patience. The chronic injuries from a decade of stunt work are probably part of the calculation.
Side Notes
The Hawaii Five-0 decade cost him physically. He accumulated herniated discs, nerve damage, torn shoulder muscles, and torn bicep tendons from stunts. By season two, he'd developed a dependency on prescription painkillers and took a break from production in 2012 to enter rehab while CBS held his job open. He came back and did eight more seasons, then stopped. His ongoing injuries were reportedly a factor in the show's eventual cancellation. Away from cameras, he's a NIDA graduate who married surfer Malia Jones in 2014 and splits time between Hawaii and Los Angeles.