14 November 2010,
The mystery in the "Champ box" was James MacArthur's to solve. In case you haven't been closely following the new "Hawaii Five-0," that's the toolbox Steve McGarrett found in his father's garage during the pilot. There are secrets in the box with the Champion Spark Plugs decal, but after early-season hints about their significance, all of it seemed to fade away.

In truth, CBS was hoping that MacArthur — who played "Danno" in the original series — would guest-star as a longtime neighbor who helps unravel the mystery, said Peter Lenkov, one of the show's executive producers.

Unfortunately, MacArthur was in poor health as the show began to shoot episodes last summer and died Oct. 28 at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

"For the audience that watched the original show, it would be McGarrett working with Danno again," Lenkov said last week. "And Danno would be helping to solve the case, very much like the original show. And I sort of held out thinking that ultimately he would recuperate and join us on the show."

That story arc remains, though, and Lenkov still wants to wink at TV history. "We are starting to do that story now," he said. "And I am going to cast it with another member of the original 'Hawaii Five-0.'" - Star Advertiser

Labels: CBS, Hawaii Five-O, James MacArthur, Season 1, Spoiler