Peter M. Lenkov

The police work moves quickly in Hawaii Five-0 (2010); the arguments take their time. Lenkov, who created the series with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, wants the partnership to matter as much as the next case. That is a sensible ambition for a programme built on repeat visits, and the agreeable cast makes it workable. We grew irritated when McGarrett and Danno kept quarrelling after their disagreement was already clear, because the extra dialogue stopped being funny.

He began in film screenwriting, with credits on Demolition Man (1993) and Son in Law (1993), before moving into television writing and producing. His contribution to 24 (2001) came in its fourth season, as a writer and co-executive producer. We prefer that series to Hawaii Five-0, though its tightly controlled first season cannot be counted as his achievement. Kiefer Sutherland holds the later, more repetitive days together, a useful reminder that a returning lead has to remain interesting when the plots become familiar.

In Hawaii Five-0, the action is brisk and the setting attractive, but the cast does much of the work of making another case feel worth following. Lenkov's interest in relationships gives the procedural something to develop between cases. The problem is how often the writing treats extended bickering as sufficient evidence of a bond. We would happily lose some of the dialogue without asking the series to become more solemn or less sociable; the humour needs sharper editing, not removal.

The later reboots, MacGyver (2016) and Magnum P.I. (2018), extend that career in familiar action television, with Lenkov serving as developer and showrunner on both. They are consistent with his preference for adapting existing programmes and putting central relationships to work. We would start with Hawaii Five-0 for a clear account of his strengths and limitations. Give it an evening if brisk police work and an agreeable ensemble are enough; do not expect the central pair to let an argument drop.