Hawaii Five-0 showrunner Peter M Lenkov has responded to speculation that Alex O'Loughlin had been planning to quit before the show's cancellation.
O'Loughlin's contract expires after the current season, and with the Steve McGarrett star talking on multiple occasions about the "physical exhaustion" from doing the show, there's been a suggestion that the star wouldn't have renewed his contract even if there was an 11th season.
"The whole show has been extremely physically daunting... I don't know how much longer I can do it," O'Loughlin said in 2018.
In an interview with TVLine ahead of the series finale, show boss Lenkov addressed the rumours, saying: "I believe Alex wanted this to be his last year.
"He didn't have a contract... but he didn't have one last year either [for season 10], and a deal was made to extend one year at the minute right before Upfronts [in May 2019].
"If the studio had wanted to bring back the show for season 11, I have to believe they would have tried to get Alex to stay. But it's now moot."
Lenkov also offered a tease on what fans can expect from the series finale, which airs in the US this week.
"[It] checks every box with regards to what this show has always been about, which is family, which is about a connection between these people," he said.
"It's got big action, it's got some big surprises and twists, but most of all, the thing is really rooted in heart, which has been a big ingredient that has played in this show since the beginning."
Hawaii Five-0 airs on Sky One in the UK and on CBS in the US.
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